The Power
by twilliams1797
Summary: The Power they do not use Harry realizes that there is more than one way to do things, and that there are ways around a problem that the Wizarding world has ignored H/Hr
1. Chapter 1

This is a Harry/Hermione Story. be warned.

Summary: The wizarding world has created its own problems

because they have a power they do not use.

H/HR

Starts during the eternal camping trip.

The Power They Do Not Use

by twilliams1797

"Hermione why are you crying, the git has abandoned us again, just like he did before, in our fourth year, he spent the whole year being  
jealous of nothing, And sixth year, yeesh, all he did was go out of his way to make you feel bad, sucking face with Lavender! Harry was starting to get mad, not at his best friend, but at the actions of his so-called 'mate'  
Hermione stopped crying and looked up at her friend, who by this time was pacing back and forth angrily, "Sure, I was a bit of a git, what with the book and all, but you know I would have shared everything with you if you had wanted.." he spun on her "You know I have made you my heir in all things, if anything happens to me, everything I own is yours, including the titles..anything you want, Hermione, if I can possibly give it or do it for you I will, Ron's a git, a fool and a jerk.. All he has been doing to us for the past four months is drag us down, hold us back and eat all our food."

He got down on his knees in front of the bushy haired woman,  
keeping her from speaking, for she wanted to protest his declarations. She sat on the edge of the cot, her hands covering her mouth in shock, unable to speak what was bubbling in her heart.  
"Hermione, you are the smartest woman I have ever met, hell you are the smartest PERSON I have ever met, I would like you to do something for me, one small task, and I will leave you alone"  
She looked up and met his eyes, nothing was said, and everything was said.

"Think back , all the way back to the time you met us on the train, all the way up until today, Has Ron ever really thanked you for carrying him through school, for giving him all your notes and homework help, your tutoring and advice, putting up with his rudeness and crudeness? has he ever Respected you, even once?"  
"Think about that, Hermione and get back to me with your answer, I'll be back in a bit and we are breaking camp when I do, I've had it with this eternal camping trip, we're straying in a hotel from now on."

With that, he strode out of the tent and into the night, placing assorted  
warning wards and detection around and about the area.

Hermione looked inward, all the way back to the first time she met Harry and Ron, and with almost perfect recall (for she had an eidetic memory) scanned through seven years of arguments, conversations, meals and classes, and could not find a single place here Ron had given a true and honest thank you to her, and a myriad of times where he had mocked and belittled her for her desire to learn and success, and conversely turned right around immediately thereafter, and asked for homework help, notes or tutoring. Anger crept across her face, as she realized that without her support, at least two years Ron Weasley would have failed out a year in school.

He had horrible manners, and no desire to improve himself, and was quite fond of using Harry's fame to get an 'in' wherever he could.. in fact it was probably only Harry's presence that made it possible for the Weasley's to get into the top Box at the World Quidditch Cup, without Harry staying with the family, they would have been relegated to the cheap seats..

She stood and began to pace, following the pattern Harry had established earlier, all thoughts of loss and abandonment gone, any thoughts of a lost relationship were vanquished , the magic and anger in her was burning out the long term potions in her system. Harry returned, a small bag with the logo of an apothecary in Glasgow on the side. He silently held out a green bottle to her. She read the label, and nodded, twisting the top off, throwing it back like a shot as Harry watched. She shuddered and began sweating, and her whole body exuded a oily sheen, vaguely opalescent in color. "Go take a shower to wash it off, I'll make some tea, I got us Chinese."

She turned to go, but thought better of it, and threw herself into Harry's arms, burying her head into his chest. Her voice was muffled, but clear enough. "He has never once shown me any respect, or love, where, you have shown me all your love and respect from the day you met me..I'm sorry that I hadn't noticed properly, and I realize now that you have shown me true love.. wanting what's best for me, even if it hurt you." she leaned back and looked him in the eyes.  
"I love you Harry James, and I always will, no matter what." He smiled and gazed back. "And ever since I became aware of my true feelings, I have loved you,Hermione Jane, and I will always be there for you, if you will have me"

"Can we pack up and head to that hotel now rather than later?"  
"Sure, got everything in your bag?" She accioed a few items and looked around.  
"Yep, sure do. Grab the take-out and lets go"

a moment later the tent stood empty in the glen where it was set up. The snow crunched with the sound of footprints, and a tall redhead came out of the woods, watching the lights on a device in his hand. He found the tent and looked inside, checking all the nooks and crannies, finding no one, sat down at the table and wondered who would feed him.

* * *

Th sun shone in the windows of the 13th floor hotel room, the rumpled bed covers barely covering the entwined couple.  
The golden winter light shone horizontally across the room, walking across the wall and down to the bed occupied by the pair

Harry had taken them to a property owned by the Potter clan since the first inn was built and an hosteling empire was formed.. Every hotel and motel in this chain had a floor or rooms set aside for the owners, and there was no tracking or magical signature that could be found to detect these suites. This suite was a smaller one, only two bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchenette and a huge bath shared between the two bedrooms. They had decided that they didn't need the huge hospitality suite that was on the same floor, that the cozy smaller one would do nicely.

Harry groaned and rolled over on his back, a huge smile on his face, life was good. They had shown up here the night before, bypassed the check-in, as Harry had the Potter Ring, and that was the passkey to a private elevator. They had come to claim the suite and while Hermione had taken a shower to wash off the potion sweat, Harry had contacted the hotel elves and gotten a tea service set up, along with some extra food, as the Chinese take-away was already gone .

Ron really had eaten all the food

They had indulged in strawberries and chocolate, some nice wine and giddily fell into bed together.

They partook of each other and did many of the things young lovers do with each other, many many times, until they nestled together in an embrace which would last the night and a lifetime.

A few hours later.

"The Sun has risen, Hermione, shall we be about our day?"  
She sat up, the sheet wrapped around herself, as he sat on the edge of the bed,"No.. I just want to grab you and take you into that huge bath in there and have my way with you.."

"well, that did occur to me also, so, just in case, I put that particular item  
as the first thing on our list to do today, ok?"

she didn't speak, but held her arms up, and let the sheet fall. He stood and  
scooped her up in his arms as hers were wrapped around his neck and he carried her into the waiting tub.

Later, they were sitting at the breakfast table eating a light breakfast with  
coffee and juice, making plans for the day.

"The magical world cannot deal with the muggle world and not be noticed" Harry was expounding. "We can slip in and out and capture whoever the combatants are and put them on ice, to be dealt with later, all we need is a place where we can trap them in, a rat trap which will drain their magic, since we both know that the wizarding world doesn't have a bit of common sense, we should be able to take the upper hand as it were, but we can't do it alone, I don't think.. we need help.

"But who can we trust, Harry, the Ministry has been taken over by Umbridge and Voldemort, The Trace is capturing people and putting them in camps with the snatchers.. it seems untenable.."

He pondered for a minute. "Well, first we need to find out who we can trust.. I want to trust the twins, but I don't know if they were involved in the potions that were given to us.. if they were, that means we can't trust them, if they weren't then we can, probably trust them..I think."

Hermione sipped her coffee and looked out at the clouds of steam rising above the city. "We need to destroy that horcrux right now, so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.. and find a way to track the others..quickly, and get that done with. we also need to get that link out of your head, once and for all, I don't believe that old man, all those years he knew and never did anything about it,it seems like he was setting you up as a martyr..that's not right."  
Hermione groused. "We need to stop the Ministry under Tom, they are using the Trace to capture and control people.. "

Harry agreed with Hermione. "Do we know how the Trace is done, for that

matter, how do they catch us for underage magic?."

"It all seems to be out of Matilda Hopkirk's office..she's the one who sends

out the owls. "

"Can we contact Arthur Weasley, he might know how it's done and where.." "Good Idea, as soon as he gets a telly, I'll call him up."

Harry looked very dour, thinking about Hedwig. He stood looking out the

suite's windows at the steam rising from the businesses and buildings of

the city. Their suite was on a corner of the building and had windows on two sides and thus, had a panoramic view of the city. Gulls and pigeons arced and whorled around in the rising heat from the tops of the structures. Hermione came up behind him and put her arms around him, her chin resting on his shoulder.

He spoke. "I can't trust The Order anymore, Love, look at that half-baked plan they came up with to get me away from Privit Drive.. We lost Moody, we lost ..Hedwig.. for what?..." he leaned his head into hers and turned around in her arms and buried his face in her hair.

His voice was quiet in her ear. "I can't trust and depend on anyone but you,

Hermione, you are the only one who has always been there for me.. only you." She gasped as he held her tightly and could feel the tears running down his cheeks

_Harry has never cried in my memory, never! Not when he was in extreme pain, not ever.! _

her mind was reeling.

She clung to him tightly murmuring in his ear a litany of encouragement.

_"I'll never leave you, not ever, I love you too much you are my_

_Harry, you are my love, I trust you with my life, I trust you with my heart."_

she kept on like this for a time as she felt his breathing calm down.

Her words had helped him.. he felt them pierce through the darkness enveloping his heart, the words flowed around his soul and washed away much of the pain and grief he felt, they strengthened him in a way he had never experienced before.. her words made him stand tall and strong, and mad him feel as if he could do anything. he let her go and stood up straight and took her face in his hands and kissed her with all the love he could muster.

After a while they sorted themselves out and got dressed for the day..

_the tenuous golden threads were stretched to the point of breaking. _

_More and more changed, and the past became the future, _

_and one by one, they snapped, leaving this possibility to dissipate into nothingness._

* * *

A couple years before:

"Boy! There will be no funny business in my house!"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon, I will write my Godfather, Sirius Black and ask him to come visit soon, he can advise me on how to get away from here, as you don't want me here as much as I don't want to be here."

Vernon grunted at the mention of the 'dangerous criminal'

"The old man said you were to have no visitors, so don't invite Black here..

I met him once and didn't like him then, either." Vernon slammed and locked the door to the smallest bedroom and stomped away.

Harry shook his head in disgust, and pulled out his books, hidden under the bed. He had to sneak downstairs after midnight, pick the lock to the cupboard and retrieve the contents of his trunk, so he could do his necessary work.

He ignored the assigned homework and opened his Runes book to the appropriate pages and continued his reading. The example given was a simple scourgify charm converted into a runic phrase. He took a stick he had found with the name of a paint company on one side, and carefully drew in the runes in the proper order. The next step was to incant a phrase and activate it with his wand, but since he didn't want to get another letter from the Underage magic office, he did it manually. He held the stick and forced his magic into it, with the intent of activating and powering up the runes. It worked, as far as he could tell, as the figures glowed briefly and the stick felt as if it were warm and vibrating. He waved it over the east side of the room and the accumulated hair and dust bunnies disappeared without a sound. He waved it all around the room, over the bed, over his clothes, and things became cleaner as he watched. There were fingerprints on the window and there was a bit of mess in the bottom of Hedwig's cage,

a wave and they were clean and spotless. He wiggled the door locks and slipped out of the room, and listened carefully. Petunia was in the kitchen, Vernon was obviously in front of the telly, and Dudley was out somewhere

beating someone up. He slipped into Dudleys' room and waved the stick.

Immediately the room was cleaner, visibly so.

Nodding in satisfaction that it worked, he put it away and settled down to the next bit of reading and experiment.

* * *

_The knot of golden threads began to unravel, one at a time, and as each did, it evaporated into nothingness. Harry was unaware of these threads. Dumbledore was unaware._

_Almost everyone was unaware._

_Except one young girl_.

* * *

The next few weeks of summer, Harry translated many spells and charms into runic equivalents, He had a key that would open almost any door, he made a bag that would hold a huge amount of stuff in a small space, The most useful thing he figured out was the 'notice me not' charm, which would make any muggle ignore his presence while he was wearing it.

He inscribed a white t-shirt with the runes, and walked through the house, right in front of his relatives, and they looked toward him, saw the runes and their attention was deflected away. He did an experiment, and stood in front of the telly and Vernon started to yell, but upon seeing the runes, the grumbling turned into a comment about needing a new antennae.

Another time He and Sirius sat at the dinner table with the Dursleys making rude comments and faces at the 'normal family'.

That summer, Harry worked diligently on learning a number of rune based  
spells, he acquired a book detailing how wards worked and the basic spells to erect them. While looking at this book and several others, he noticed that every book on warding referred to Golinards as the authority on wards. Harry made inquiries into finding a copy of Golinards book, as they were rare and only sold directly to the final user by Jack Golinard himself.. as they were self updating, and as such, expensive. Harry wrote a letter describing his situation and actions and sent it via Hedwig to Golinard himself. A couple hours later, a message arrived that the old man himself was going to visit, because of what Hedwig had done.

Golinard hid himself behind family wards that had been added to over the  
centuries, as the entire clan had always been warders and curse breakers.  
Hedwig flew to the location where she sensed the recipient of the letter and  
traversed the wards without too much effort, and it was a very surprised old man who read Harry's letter at his lunch that day.

The fact that Hedwig had traversed the wards indicated to Golinard that the Owl was owned by a powerful and intelligent wizard..being not only a post owl, she was his familiar, and thus, sharing in the magical benefits.

He asked the Snowy owl to wait while he wrote a reply.

_Mr Potter.  
It is with some surprise that your Owl  
reached me this morning, as I have some  
very complex wards guarding my residence  
these days. Her arrival indicates to me the  
power that and intelligence you have  
working for you, I assume she is your  
familiar, and not just a post owl._

I have read your letter and request, and  
I find myself intrigued enough to come  
and visit your location. I would like to  
examine the so-called 'blood wards'  
that Dumbledore thinks are impenetrable.

If Tuesday at ten is inconvenient, please  
let me know.

Jack Golinard.

Tuesday arrived and Harry watched from the front stoop, wanting to see how the master warder and curse breaker perceived and checked the wards from the outside. He kept a pole with a sign on it handy and when the Master arrived he stepped out to the street to greet him.

"Welcome,Master Golinard, and assistant, I am Harry Potter and this is where I was dumped fourteen years ago..4 Privit drive."  
"Hello Mr Potter, Harry, I am pleased to meet you, this is my assistant and head curse breaker, Jay Bernheimer.." Harry shook hands with the man, who was using his wand and some detection equipment to 'feel' the warding. Golinard looked at the sign Harry was carrying.. it was an old broomstick with a piece of posterboard nailed to it, with the 'notice me not' and 'anti muggle' runes painted on it. "I figured you might want to do some checking around outside and this should keep any unwanted attention away from us.."

Both of the older men's eyes were widened a bit at this small piece of  
diversion, and Harry's status in their eyes went up a little bit as well.  
"Good thinking, sometimes you have to work in a mundane area and you need every tool you can get, nice shirt, by the way." Harry was proud of that, and told the men about the dinner he and Sirius had eaten with his family.

Bernheimer came back from his walkaround of the wards and the property with a look on his face. The data he had collected was all there written on his clipboard.. The clipboard was a recording device tied in with a set of spells and charms the man had used, and as he walked ward strength was recorded, types of wards, everything magical.

Golinard took the clipboard and looked it over. he raised an eyebrow to his  
assistant who pointed back at the notations with a shrug.  
"Mr Potter.. Harry..I don't know how to tell you this, but what you have over this property are not wards.. blood wards or otherwise."  
"Really?, the old man claims that they are blood wards created by my mother's self-sacrifice, and that as long as I live with my blood relative, that is, my Aunt, I am safe from anyone intending me harm."  
The two professionals looked at each other in disbelief. "Harry, someone is  
lying to you.. my family has been involved in the warding business for over 800 years, and _I have never heard of anything like that..ever._"

Another data point stored away in his mind.

"So, what is actually over this property?"  
"well, according to our initial survey, the things set up are to influence the  
mundanes you live with.."

Harry learned a lot that day in the summer before his fourth year.. he created a set of anti-sensing wards to block the Ministry from locating him, or anyone else for that matter. He was informed of several tracking charms on his person and property, which he transferred to an inert object which he could dispose of at will. He kept the object in his trunk so that Dumbledore would see he was 'well and healthy' from his ivory tower.

Harry asked Golinard to disable the spells influencing the Dursleys, letting  
them possibly have something of a normal life.. he may eventually forgive, but he would never forget., nor would he let his guard down, for Vernon's natural propensity may just be to be a bullying bigoted bastard..

_______________________________

The night he set up the personal wards that he had designed, he sat on the roof of 4 Privet Drive and looked out over the estate where the house was sitting. One house exactly the same as every other house, except for the inhabitants.. He wanted better, he wanted to have someone to love and be loved by, he wanted children, and happiness in his house.. he knew that he was a bit young to think of this, but the fact was, his circumstance had forced him to mature and be adult in many things.. even when he wanted to go and play.. he just wanted to go with Hermione and swing, to drag his feet in the dirt and jump to see how far he could go.. he wanted to have a mum, or someone who acted like his mum to hold him when he  
felt bad. he wanted someone to talk to about guy things.. he couldn't talk to  
Ron.. the boy acted so jealous and childish and selfish, that Harry just felt he couldn't trust him, and wouldn't. The next year would show how true this was.

Harry made some progress with his 'family' they were not actively hostile to him, but they were also not accepting him with open arms either. Vernon still had his outbursts, and more than once Harry had to duck to avoid the fat man's slap. It usually never went beyond that, as Vernon got winded easily, and encouraged Dudley to knock the skinny wizard around.

_________________________________

The episode with Master Warder and Curse Breaker Golinard was eye opening to Harry. He got way more than he had asked for, All he wanted at the outset was a copy of THE BOOK. what he ended up with, was a signed copy of THE BOOK, and a personal lesson in runic warding from THE expert in the field, not to mention an invitation to apply for an apprenticeship when he was older.

Harry was pleased with this development. He had found that he had enough money for his education and was planning on using it wisely, to hire tutors and specialists. Sirius had suggested several things that he do, one of which was to find his solicitor, and failing that, ask his cousin Andromeda to represent him. This was one of the few sensible things that Sirius had come up with, as his brain was still a bit addled from his years in Azkaban. Harry loved his Godfather, but had enough common sense to think about what was suggested before doing it.

He recalled a comment that Hermione had made in their first year.

"I don't think that wizards have an ounce of common sense or logic"

Harry had taken that to heart, and assumed the worst.

* * *

July ended and his birthday came and went, August was upon them and he had spoken with Hermione and her parents, They had been invited to go to the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys, but Harry had declined, as he was going with his Godfather. Arrangements were put in place and he boded his time, between his work and his daily calls to Hermione, his life was getting much better.

Harry pretty much stayed to his room and worked on various runic magic  
projects, along the way he learned a lot of applied arithmancy and how to use it in his creations, for over on this side of the equation a long series of  
formulae were the arithmatical description of the other side of the same  
equation, where there was a rune or series of runes..

He figured out a sorting spell, where something was dropped in to one side of the ring he made, and the objects dropped were sorted into various piles. He experimented with a large bucket of mixed hardware he found at the curb in front of someone's house. He accumulated a bunch of soup tins and washed them, and inscribed them with a progression of runes, and had a ring made from an old embroidery hoop Mrs Figg threw out. The hoop had the same runes with redirection modifiers applied. It took about twenty tries before he got it ...sorted out..another joke he laughed  
at.. and it worked. He dumped the mixed screws and nuts and bolts and  
unidentified stuff out a handful at a time and it was all sorted into the soup  
tins. A small victory. His next step was to make the sorting work over a  
distance, and he set up his experiment in the back garden.. he lined up his soup tins at the back fence and he stood behind the garage with the hoop ring. He dumped a handful at a time and watched as the hardware flew across the yard to it's target.

Now if he could do it without occupying the intervening space. Something to figure out over the next school year, as September was looming

and he was going to the World Cup with Sirius , Mooney, Hermione and her parents.

Sirius had located a place to live where the ministry couldn't find him, as he was still listed as an escaped convict, so he wore his Rune shirt that Harry had made for him, only this one included more comprehensive runes, which included wizard repelling charms.

Hermione was glad to see her wizard.. she had taken to thinking of Harry as Her wizard.. even though she didn't think too far about what that meant.. both for her and for him..  
Her mother had a look that she knew something was up when the girl talked about Her wizard.. even unstated it was a given.

Sirius and Harry came to the Granger home and parked Sirius' new bike behind the garage, out of sight, unless you were in the back garden and no one was supposed to be there without permission. Harry dropped off a small crate that had several rocks carved with ward runes on them, to be dealt with later, right now they were heading for the World Cup. Sirius produced some appropriate clothing for the Grangers to wear, so they would blend in with the crowd.. and he also put a bracelet on every member of the group with a password to get them out in an emergency. One rock Harry took and with Hermione's guidance he dug a small hole  
and planted it in the ground n the center of a grassy area. He took the sod and packed it tidily over the hole, leaving very little indication that it was  
there. This was something they had planned ahead on doing. Sirius had bought the stone from a specialist, and the bracelets were tied to the stone, if the wearer had to bugout or just wanted to return home, they had to use the password and when spoken, would be portkeyed back. Harry had paid close attention to the runes and description of the spell, he had examined the bracelets, and copied down a mass of information on the subject to be studied later.. his drawing pad and notebook was growing by the day, with all manner of things. Sirius joked that he would be the only fourth year who had created his own Grimore.

The four adults and two teens spun through the ether towards the QWC  
landing zone, and when the ground came up toward them, they did as they were instructed and landed with slightly flexed legs and all five kept their balance.  
Earlier Sirius had instructed Harry on using the floo and portkeys and the young man was a bit angry with his so called friends who just laughed as he fell over himself every time he used either. Apparently to the average wizard, falling on you face is considered high comedy. This, of course explained a lot to Hermione, who wondered why everyone thought the Weasley twin's pranks were the biggest hoot around.

________________________________________

They entered the midway working it's way up to the stadium, saw all manner of crazy and lunatic things, people dressed oddly, people doing things normal wizards shouldn't do, The aurors were having a time keeping the crowds under control. "So why is everyone here waiting for the show, if the portkeys were made correctly, you could port directly to your ticketed seat.. in theory.." Harry asked of Sirius, but it was Miranda who came up with the answer.  
"People want to be witness to the spectacle, the silly costumes and odd behavior of others, they want to have permission to act out in ways they would not usually act at home or with their peers."  
"Oh,I see. so its like when the football hooligans go to Spain to start fights  
and kick ass, regardless of if it's their team or not."  
"Exactly."  
"Everyone keep their bracelets tight and be ready to bugout in an instant,  
please, I don't want anyone hurt." This was mature adult Harry talking. Jake and Miranda looked over the kids heads to Sirius, who just nodded quietly as the teens walked hand in hand ahead of them.

Harry bought three pair of omnioculars, one for Sirius and Mooney, one for the Grangers and one for himself and Hermione. he stuffed them in his pouch, which he had taken to keeping with him at all times. Your basic fanny pack with enlarging charms on the inside, giving him quite a bit of space to work with.. he had shown the things to do to Hermione and she was excited about doing the same to her bookbag before she went to school.

They came in contact with the Weasleys along the way, and Ron didn't notice the  
couple, he didn't recognize any of them, because they were all disguised, at  
least Harry and Hermione were. Sirius looked completely different than his  
wanted poster, and Mooney, he just blended in with the background, casting a silent disillusionment spell and activating his 'notice-me-not' charms.. they were a bit of an inconvenience in a crowd like this, people tried to walk right through the space you occupied, so he walked directly behind Harry with his hand on the young man's shoulder, and Sirius brought up to the rear. Harry whispered in the girl's ear, "did you see that, how he looked you up and down.. even I felt violated." Hermione had been speaking the week before about how males treated females in wizarding society, the more pureblood you were, the more  
second class everyone around you became.

_________________________________________

The QWC was quite exciting to watch, the events with he leprechauns and  
Veela were odd feelings for the men in the group, and amusement for the women.. Harry acted correctly when the Veela dance onto the field, and burrowed his face in Hermione's neck, holding her tightly.. When questioned about it, he spoke of feeling an odd pressure in an undefinable place, but instinctively he knew that holding the brunette girl was the cure. Jake stood up at the same occurrence, but held onto Miranda's hand, he quirked his head, watching the silvery dancers, but kept a hold.

Sirius had acquired a box up and behind the Ministry box, and as such Harry could watch the events within said box. Ron immediately got up and started toward the front of that balcony when Arthur grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back. The twins acted a bit antsy, but stayed put.  
The game finally began and the wizards explained the game and the players to the non wizards, and after a bit, even the non-fans could see the excitement of the game.  
The players flew about with astonishing speed, and everyone gasped as Viktor Krum dove toward the field, as if diving for the snitch, and the opposing seeker assumed it was a feint.. unfortunately for Bulgaria, it was not. Krum caught the snitch and Ireland was still far enough ahead, they won the game.

The crowd surged to their feet, and were jumping about cheering and something odd caught Harry's eye. he touched Hermione's arm and spoke in her ear.."There, see the elf, it looks as if she is trying to stop someone....there under a cloak, an invisibility cloak.." The little female elf in the pretty blue dress fell as if cast off, and cringed as someone or something smacked at her.. she fell back, helpless as her charge moved away, toward the right..right behind where the Weasley's were milling about. The ripple passed by the Weasleys and Harry noted that Ron had his wand sticking out of his back pocket..and then he didn't.

The little elf started running toward the exit and just about where they had seen the last ripple, she popped away. The Grangers suggested staying in the stands for a while to let the crowds diminish, and everyone though that was a reasonably good idea.. They did find a spot overlooking the midway and the campgrounds and talked about the game and magic and things as they watched the thousands of witches and wizards mill about  
below. They reviewed their omniocular recordings and used the devices to people watch in the crowd. They heard screams and noticed that there were people being tossed about in the air, like they were rag dolls being thrown about by a jealous little brother teasing his sister.

"Oh my lord, what are they doing?" Miranda pointed down the way at five or six people in dark cloaks and masks who were the ones tormenting the flying people...Sirius glared. "Death Eaters..the worst of our people, all good citizens, as long as they buy off the right people in our Ministry.." he  
snarled. "What I would give to have a long range weapon now.." Jake estimated the range. "My squaddie Jeremy could take them out quite nicely from here.. I have seen him hit a target 1600 meters away."  
The wizards all looked at Jake Granger with a question in their eyes.

Jake looked around at his hosts.."What?, I was in the SAS as a medic, those guys are deadly accurate, and the target never knew what hit them."  
Just then, a huge glowing green skull and snake formed in the air above the  
midway, and Sirius and Harry grabbed their guests and yelled 'BUGOUT"

A whirling trip through the ether and everyone landed in a pile in the Granger back garden. Harry got up swiftly, pulling Hermione up with him and they picked up her parents together.

"What was that?" Jake demanded. He and Miranda were somewhat fearful of the answer they might receive. Sirius and Mooney were solemn faced, and not really wanting to talk about it, because they were both shocked to their core.  
"It can't be, it just can't"  
"You saw it as well as I, Mooney, they're back..at least they are getting  
bolder"  
"What are you two going on about?"  
The group had moved into the house by now.  
Mooney took the initiative.  
What you saw tonight was Death Eaters muggle-baiting and the sign in the sky was The Dark Lords signature.. they are coming out of hiding, and I fear for our world."  
He turned to Jake and Miranda. "If you care about your lives and your daughter's life, sell everything and get out of the country, as soon as you can." he looked scared. Go as far from here as possible, Australia, New Zealand.. Tristan Da Cunha .."

Hermione's parents looked shocked at this pronouncement, They had come to find Mooney as a calm, and reasonably sane person for a wizard.. Harry looked to his girlfriend at the last. she whispered an answer to the unasked question.  
"Farthest inhabited place on earth."  
"Oh."

Harry thought quietly for a few minutes as the older wizards filled in the  
Granger family on the whole Death Eater situation, ideology and activities in the past. He held Hermione's hand and looked her in the eyes, saying  
nothing..but he never stopped thinking. He was still looking at her when he  
interrupted his Godfather.

"Sirius, could you stop giving Voldemort so much credit and start thinking about what we could do now?"  
Sirius drew up short in is words.."um..what?"  
Harry turned to him.  
"We have no proof that Voldemort is back, just that some of his followers are acting out.. now it is the hands of the Ministry to deal with, am I correct?"  
"Er, yes, I suppose so..What are you saying?"  
"Is it our task to do any more than look out after our own families?"  
"well, I suppose not, but who will?"  
Hermione interjected. "Won't the Headmaster do something about it?"  
"He should, he heads up two out of the three branches of our government..AND he is a full time Headmaster of our biggest magical school".  
This got the attention of all the Grangers and Harry  
"There are other magical schools?"  
"Um, sure, there's Dublin School of Magical Arts and Sciences, there's The  
Headington School in Oxford, it has both Mundane and Magical sides., Mooney, isn't there one in London too?"  
"Yes, but it is by audition only, The Globe school of Theater and Musical  
Arts, Started by Will Shakespeare back in 1500 something."  
Harry and Hermione felt they had been cheated somehow..

"Oh, yes, the Dragon School in Oxford, they begin teaching basics of magic in primary school, so you could have been taught since you were 6, I believe.."  
Miranda spoke first. "And why were we not told of these schools back then, when it might have given our Hermione a good start.. is there someone blocking us from hearing about it?"  
Sirius answered.  
"I don't know, There is a book in the Ministry that records every magical birth in the country, and those names are supposed to be forwarded to the correct parties.. I do recall that both I and my brother Regulus received invitations to the Oxford schools, but my Mother refused them. I don't know why, other than she was a bigoted bitch."

These revelations made the teens think long and hard about it  
some years in the future, when the teens had time to think about it, they interviewed the staff of those schools, and found out that they had been blocked from speaking to Harry, and Hermione was never on their list.

______________________________________________

Fourth year started and by the second day of school, Harry had descended into confusion, forgetting many of the things he had learned over the summer. His ever-present notebook full of drawings and ideas was not to be found.

Hermione tracked him down to the Quidditch pitch where he was standing in the stands holding his broom, looking at the grounds, which were all torn up and hedgerows being planted.

"Harry?..are you all right?..Harry?"

Hermione quietly trod the risers of the stands to the platform where her best friend was standing, looking out over the grounds.

His eyes did not leave the maze as he spoke.

"I don't know, Hermione, I don't know what I do know and what I don't..

It's like I have bare spots in my mind, and I _know_ something is missing, but I cannot tell what it is."

he turned his face to her.

"I think I have been obliviated."

* * *

Standard disclaimer:

If you recognize it, it's probably owned by JKR and her corporate lackeys.

I am borrowing her characters and playing with them, for this, I thank JKR for the privilege.

No money is being made from this exercise.

Jack Golinard is my version of a character created by jbern, creator of Bungle in the Jungle, Turn Me Loose and the original published work Deadeye 

edited for continuity

2-16-09


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Power They do not Use.

Previously:

_"Harry?..are you all right?..Harry?"_

_Hermione quietly trod the risers of the stands to the platform where her best friend was standing, looking out over the grounds._

_His eyes did not leave the maze as he spoke._

_"I don't know, Hermione, I don't know what I do know and what I don't.._

_It's like I have bare spots in my mind, and I __know__ something is missing, but I cannot tell what it is."_

_he turned his face to her._

_"I think I have been obliviated."_

* * *

Hermione immediately scanned her memory, and having the blessing, and

sometime curse of an eidetic memory, she found discrepancies. Things that didn't quite jibe. She sat down on the bleachers and quieted her mind, a basic yoga technique she sometimes practiced with her mother over the summer, the memories that pointed to her and Harry being in a relationship, the events of the World Cup were off somehow... the images of running through the forest at night away from the masked wizards didn't seem to feel real, and seeing the little elf be cast out of her family by Mr Crouch, well that didn't set well with Hermione's sensibilities.

Harry had sat on the bleacher next to her, and took her hands. "One thing I do remember is that you agreed to be my girlfriend, I don't think anyone or anything could take that away from me."

Their eyes met.  
"I don't recall going to the Weasley's do you?" "No, but that doesn't explain the memory of us staying there for a week and going to the World Cup with them...it seems like a very complete sequence of events."

"I know, do you recall who we met that morning?"

"Cedric Diggory, wasn't it?"

"Who wants us to have these memories, and why the hell did they block my memories of what we learned this summer, and why can't I remember the rune sequence that Mr...I can't remember his name... I can see him in my mind, but I can't remember his name." Harry looked angry. "I have his book on...on..."

"Golinard's Compendium of Wards and their Manipulation." Hermione quoted the title as if reading it. She continued.

"Inside the front cover it is signed,

_'for my new friend, Harry Potter,_

_you remind me a great deal of my_

_old friend Charlus Potter._

_Use this book well and may_

_the power of magic be with you always,_

_signed Jack Golinard' _

She looked to him. The man is Jack Golinard, the worlds master warder and curse breaker." Harry was looking deep into his best friends eyes, as if seeing something. The truth was, he WAS seeing something. As she spoke of the book, he could see it in her memory, the inscription and the cover. "I saw that, I think, just as you saw it..lets try something."

"Saw it?, how?" she blinked and then felt a kind of pressure on her frontal lobe. She was seeing the castle and grounds of Hogwarts from Harry's perspective, from his broom, zooming and flying about. In that instant she knew how much he loved flying, and the fact that he really didn't care all that much about quidditch, as it was a means to an end, to be flying. She also felt an overlay of a...the best she could describe it, was a compulsion to spend time and effort playing the game and reading and talking about it, as if it were programmed into him.

She whispered. "Think about just flying, and how you feel about that, and not the game.."

He did so and she reveled in the feelings of the wind in her face, and the force of the turns and twists of the maneuvers. She disconnected and stretched.

"Harry, I would like to try something, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, with what?, my life, my broom, my vaults?"

He became aware of what he had just said,..."Vaults?" Until this point he had no idea that he had more than just the one where his school money came from.

Hermione's voice brought him back to the present. "Just loan me your broom for a moment, I want to try something."

"Are you sure, you haven't flown since first year flying classes, and this is a fast broom."

She stood and smiled at him. "I think we may have had a breakthrough of sorts, trust me , I'll be careful." Reluctantly he handed her the broomstick.

"I can replace the Firebolt, Hermione, I can't replace you." She smiled sweetly and threw her leg over the shaft and smoothly swooped out and over the pitch, making a wide arc, and some smooth 'S' turns, a mild dive and climb, then a spiral up to an altitude of about 300 feet, flipping over on her back and diving at a steep angle toward the grass, and swooping with her toes leaving marks in the grass, all the while laughing. Harry's heart had stopped, and he had forgotten to breath until she had landed with a light step, and handed the speedy broomstick back to him. He didn't even look as he dropped it aside and grabbed her and held her tightly.

"I am so sorry, Hermione, I am so sorry that I worried you so much these last three years, seeing you fly like that scared me, I thought....I hadn't realized what it did to you to see me fly like I do."

He released the hug he held her in and searched her face, her eyes. "How?"

"I felt your mind, I asked you to think about flying and I concentrated on receiving what you know about flying, and although I haven't had the physical experience that you do, I feel I could probably do anything on a broom that you can, now"

His eyebrows vanished into his hairline. "Oh, Really?..I guess I know what I'm getting you for your birthday, then.."

She tossed her hair merrily, "I want at least a Nimbus 2000" with a laugh.

they hugged tightly for a few moments, then reality came back to them.

"What about whoever obliviated us and added these false memories.?"

"It can only be a few people, the primary candidate is Dumbledore."

My whole life he has been manipulating me, putting me where I live, controlling my money, my classes, my friends."

Shock crossed the girl's face. "Money?, Friends?"

"I was not told how to get through to Platform 9-3/4, and Mrs Weasley was loudly asking where the platform was, like she was calling to me."

The Weasleys were planted, I am sure of it. Next, how many compartments were empty the first time you got on the express?"

She thought about it a minute. "Eleven, by my count" Harry was impressed that she remembered an exact number.,

"Ron came into my compartment saying that everywhere else was full, could he join me." His face darkened. "I believe he was a setup as well."

he grimaced. "I keep getting this desire to go and play quidditch, when in truth it's a stupid game as a seeker, all I do is fly around, if I were a chaser, maybe.. All I really want to do is fly. I feel as if there is a compulsion to make me want to be on the team."

"I felt that also, when I was feeling your mind.." she blushed. and looked him in the eyes. "Is it true that adolescent males think about sex every three minutes?" It was Harry's turn to blush as an image flashed across his thoughts.

"That's not fair, Miss Granger, you are abusing the magic, I think.." he projected an image to her that made all previous blushes insignificant.

He picked up his broom and straddled it. "Well, with your new-found skills at flying, would you like to go on a fly with me?"

She grinned and got on behind him, and snuggled close, putting her arms around him. He grinned and they took off. "Next flight, I am sitting behind you, so watch where you are putting your hands, fair play and all."

Her hands suddenly moved to a neutral, inoffensive position.

* * *

Sirius was ensconced in 12 Grimmauld place, and Mooney was there with him.

"Mooney, this letter I just got from Harry says that he was obliviated the first day of school, and he suspects Dumbledore." "What can we do, I can't pull him out of there, he's relatively safe there, and until I get pardoned, I can't be his guardian, the Ministry will arrest me."

Remus John Lupin was the thinker of the Marauders. James was brilliant with charms, Sirius had ideas and plans, Mooney worked out the magic and the order of things, Peter.. he ran errands and go food and butterbeer and was the lookout.

Lupin spun on his friend. "Do you still have the mirrors? Sirius' eyes widened. "Ah!, Yes!.. I think I do.." he jumped up and ran for his room upstairs.. He had dug out his school trunk that had been forwarded from his vault by the Goblins. He pulled it out and threw it open. Mooney strolled in and leaned against the doorjamb. Books and old clothes flew this way and that, a half empty Ogden's bottle rolled across the floor, fetching up against Mooney's foot. He bent down and casually picked it up, undid the lid and took a swig. "Aaaahhh...good stuff" Sirius looked up at his cohort, who held out the bottle. "Yeah, thanks.." Sirius took a swig and the steam poured out his ears, he shook his head and went crosseyed. "Whoah, been a while." he corked it back up and set it aside.

"Here we are.." he pulled out three wood frames about six inches square, which surrounded a mirror. The outside of the frame was engraved with a series of Nordic runes, and the frame had what appeared to be buttons along one edge. "I have mine, James' and Peter's, do you still have yours, you think?" Lupin nodded. I surely do, it's back at my cottage, I use it to shave every morning.." he sighed. The first couple years after James and Lily... I called James more than once, I called you, if nothing more than to curse you. The old man had me convinced that you had betrayed them."

Sirius sat back and picked up the bottle again. "In a way, I did.. I trusted the wrong person, and now my brother is dead."

Mooney knew Sirius wasn't talking about Regulus.

"Peter fooled us and we trusted him.."

"Yeah, him too, I meant the old man." He idly poked at the trunk and it's contents.

"We all fell for the Cult of Dumbledore, and because of that trust, too many people are dead. Remember Giddy and Fabulous? If it weren't for that scumsucking Snape and his bad intel, they would still be alive."

Mooney took back the bottle and took a drink.

"I wonder how much real information, real USEFUL information

Snape ever provided.. it always seemed, too little, too late."

Mooney slid down the doorjamb and sat on the floor. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

"What about Harry?"

He needs tools to fight back.. he needs to keep his memories to himself and stop whoever is trying to lead him around by the nose..Is there anything Andy can do to help?"

"I don't know..She is working on it." "Gimmee the bottle Moo.."

Mooney looked at the bottle. There was not much left in it, so he passed it over.

Sirius drank the remains of the Ogden's and thumped the bottle off down the hallway. They heard it bounce off a wall and roll over to the stairway and go over the edge. Bonk..bonk..bonk..bonk.....They waited in anticipation....bonk. it had stopped five steps down. Sirius giggled and Mooney snorted, laughing at Sirius more than the situation. Having a Lycan metabolism meant that it took more than a few drinks to alter his consciousness.

"Seriously, Sirius..No, don't say it!" he shot a silencio at the other wizard. "We need to send Harry and Hermione as many tools as we can so they can fight whoever and whatever they are dealing with there..Dump out your trunk, we'll fill it up with useful stuff and send it to him, ok?"

Sirius just giggled and slumped down a bit more. Mooney looked at him there. "Lightweight.."

He levitated the trunk and opened all the compartments, and dumped everything out on the floor. "scourgify' a few cleaning charms to get rid of the odd smell and suspicious stains..

There were robes and clothes and shoes and a variety of decent quality clothes, all too small. A quick cleaning and folding charm and placed in the clothes section of the trunk, "I think that Harry or Hermione can resize these to fit him, since the clothes he wears are pure rags.. I wonder what the old man was thinking, sending Harry there" Lupin spoke to the now sleeping Sirius Black, who was leaning happily against the footboard of the bed, a pile of school age debris around him.

Mooney leaned out the door of the room and accio'd the Ogden's bottle off the steps, laid it on top of the stack of three mirrors and did a charm, converting it into a replica of the others, bringing the total of mirrors up to five. "One for each and one for Andy Tonks.." he murmured to himself.

"Two mirrors and a note indicating how to use them, in the first compartment, right on top. "........"Ok, books" He sorted out all the books from the pile, put them in order, tossing the girlie mags aside.."Hermione won't like that..ohh this is good!" Basic Occlumency and Legilimency. Protecting your Mind "This will be helpful to Harry and his friends.. we both know that Snape and the Old Man are notorious for scanning minds."

They had learned this lesson early in the Marauder years. Back then, Snape was not as much of a threat, but the old man was.

* * *

Harry and Hermione spent the rest of that day flying around, over the Forbidden forest, where Harry pointed out the Acromantula nests and where he and Ron had faced down Aragog. They kept quite a bit higher than normal for that area. They flew out over the lake, waving at Lenny, the Giant squid. Peering down through the water, they could see what looked like structures of a small town down there.

Harry led the way and they went around and about the spires and towers of the castle, over the top of the Great Hall, wondering if they were seen by those inside. from the outside, it looked like any other slated roof.

They circled Gryffindor tower, Hermione pointed out her dorm room window, and Harry pointed out his.. they wondered about what looked like another level of tower above the seventh year dorms on the top floor. Harry pulled the broom up and hovered, looking in through the turrets visible when you were high enough.."Look at this, from the ground, you cannot see there is another level, it looks like just crenelation like any other tower here..We should investigate this soon."

Hermione's arms held him tightly and she snuggled into his back.  
You're right, but I think we need to go and eat now, I'm getting hungry"

They swooped away from the tower and found a nook out of sight of the front door to set down. They got off and stretched, Hermione trying discreetly to get the butt cramps out, Harry, of course didn't mind so he stretched and did a few knee-bends while grinning at the bushy haired girl.

"Here take my hands." she did and together they did knee-bends and some long muscle stretching. He picked up his broom and activated the shrinking runes he had placed on it and put it in his pouch. "Shall we go to dinner, milady?" "Yes, but first I need to stop by the ladies, and brush out my hair.. it looks as if I have been flying all day." They laughed and walked into the castle.

* * *

Harry was sitting in the common room working on his first couple day's homework, and idly sketching out some ideas for a gift for Hermione's birthday. The girl in question came into the room and dropped her bookbag and notebooks on the table, and sat down with a weary sigh.

Harry flipped the page over in his sketchbook, hiding his drawings.

"Tired?" he asked her.

"Yes, very much so, you know I am keeping up with my normal education as well as our magical education?"

"Yes, I have seen you reading literature books and physics, how do you do it, by mail or is there a teacher somewhere accepting your owls?"

"I do the assignments and send them to my Mother, who forwards them to an office in the Headington school." they both looked at each other remembering the conversation after the QWC when they had portkeyed back to the Granger's garden.."I suppose now that we know Headington is a Magical/Mundane school, I can expand my course load somewhat..at least look at their curriculum."

"I think that's a great idea, lets send Hedwig with an inquiry into what they offer on both sides, I need to finish my mundane education, I dropped out of public school when I came to Hogwarts." a thought occurred to Harry. "How far from Headington do you live?"

A couple miles, I can walk there in less than an hour.. I have, since it's good exercise." He got a far off look on his face. "I'll be right back" he jumped up and ran up the steps to the dorm, dug around in some papers and things in his trunk and brought out a notebook. He noticed that all his chocolate frogs were gone again. "Ron" he humpfed in disgust.

He came back down and dropped into his chair. Flipping open the notebook, he read through the alphabetical list of cities and towns until he reached Oxford..."Ok.. have you heard of the Ritz-Montague Hotel?" he looked up at his friend. She nodded. Yes, it's a pretty classy place in the center of town, not a cheap place to stay, from what I recall"

"Well for you, it wouldn't be a problem, as I, that is, the Great, Ancient and Noble House of Potter owns it..I have an entire floor to use as my own, all I need is the Potter Ring, there is a private entrance and everything..on the 7th floor is a big hospitality suite, a two bedroom middle size suite, and a pair of singles."

He read some more. "Hmm...hmm...Ok, this is something..according to this, my Head of House ring had portkey charms on it, all I have to do is name the place I want to go and say activate, and I will be ported there directly." he looked at her with glee. "I need to find that ring and get this underway, I'm moving to Oxford to be near my girlfriend!!"

* * *

Sirius groaned as he woke up. His trunk was sitting upright and had quite a bit of stuff placed inside, books, clothes, potions equipment, the mirrors..

"What's this about, Moo?"

"We're sending Harry some help with his problems..books, tools, potions..I need to go to the apothecary and get him some nutrient potions and something to help his eyes.. He shouldn't have to wear glasses at his age.." Mooney was writing something, making a list.

"There's a bag of gold over there, take what you need." he waved over in the vague direction of the dressing table. "What kind of books?"

"Well, I started with all seven years of your school books, a copy of the Marauders Manifesto and Animagus Journal to start, Potions reference manuals, I know he actually likes potions, but Snape makes it a hateful thing."

"Umm, Mooney, put in any books you can find on runes, arithmancy, spell creation.. umm I think in the library we have something on portkeys and traveling stones..he needs that."

"We do have the copy-right charm in the Manual, don't we?"

"Er, yes, why?"

"You know his girlfriend better than I do, so don't you think she's gonna want to make the start of her own library?"

Lupin laughed. In the short time he had taught at Hogwarts he had learned about Hermione's addiction to knowledge seeking.

"Better add a couple cases of blank books."

Mooney nodded and added it to his list.

Blank books made it easier to copy books, you placed one next to the other and used the copyright charm, (Copy-Right) and everything in one was printed in the other, exactly as the first. this was the way a great many wizarding books were distributed, one copy is hand written and every copy thereafter is exactly like the first..

Mooney gathered the requisite books, including a complete fifteen volume set of The Master's Complete Guide to Potions and their Creation. This set of works was a Holy Grail to the potions masters of the world. In reality, there were fewer than fifty sets of these books printed, and of those, fewer than ten were complete. It was common knowledge that if you went through the first five books, you could qualify as a Potions Master in any country in the world. Snape had heard of this set of books and had acquired one of the first five volumes, and handwritten copies of the other four.

This set that was being given to Harry was virtually priceless, and there were those in the world who would literally kill to acquire them.

Mooney brought the books in and copied them , and the copies went into Harry's new trunk. Mooney went to return the original set to the Library and while he was out of the room, Sirius grabbed the girlie magazines and slipped them into the trunk, hidden behind something else.

"What about the summer, when he is stuck with his relatives?" Mooney returned, smirking, He knew what Sirius had just done. "If I recall correctly, Harry is stuck with Lily's sister, and doesn't get enough to eat, he does all the work, and the old man won't let anyone do anything about it.."

"Not so much anymore, Moo, Harry has figured out how to ward against his relatives, he lives in their house, and they hardly know he's there."

"Ward?, how?"

Sirius got up, stumbled a little, as he hadn't had anything to drink in thirteen years and was still a bit of a lightweight. He dug in a pile of clothes and victoriously pulled out a shirt. "Aha!, Here it is.. Harry made this for me, we sat right there in the same room with the muggles and they ignored us completely." His voice was a bit muffled as he pulled the shirt over his head.

Mooney was impressed, as he had taken Runes for four of his seven years at Hogwarts. He recognized the runic phrasing and was impressed at how elegantly it was done. Sirius was pointing to various bits. "This here is a Notice-Me-Not, and this here is a mild compulsion to not hear anything, a muffiliato, I think he called it."

"Quite impressive, Siri, I don't think I could have done it, I mean, it's quite inspired work." Sirius nodded and spun around, the spiral of runes wrapped around his body, he held his arms up like a flamenco dancer as he did. "The only problem with this is you have to activate it by spinning to the right..the first time I had to spin around so much I got dizzy." The runes on the shirt glowed for a second as they were powered up. "There, I am now invisibob..imvinisibl..muggles can't see me.!"

He flopped down on the edge of the bed.

* * *

Harry found a quiet spot and pulled out his Map. He activated it with the phrase, and his fingers followed over the familiar runes and numbers drawn all around the edges of the thing. He recognized several of the sequences, but not all. He needed to contact Mooney and Sirius and find out what he could. That thought went through his mind as he looked for his best friend.. There, she was sitting at her table in the back of the Library..Padma and Luna were there also. He nodded, and put the map away, thinking that it would be nice to have a quicker way to contact someone.

* * *

Hermione and Padma had become friends, study partners and to some extent, Confidants. A third year Ravenclaw girl had joined them, Luna Lovegood.

Harry approached what he though of as the Smart Girl's Corner.

"Good afternoon, Ladies, I hope you are all well today?"

The feminine group smiled and greeted the dark haired wizard.

"I have come by to ask if Hermione wanted to go flying with me, and now that you are all here, Ladies, would you all like to go flying with me?"

"There's work that I have to get done, I can't, Another time?"Hermione gave an apologetic look. Harry whispered in his mind,

_anytime, for you" "_

Padma also demurred, "I don't have a broom, but I do have a personal flying carpet if you would like to try it sometime, My sister and I share it often." This interested Harry, as he had never seen a flying carpet or flown on one. "I would be very interested in that, Padma, thank you". The South Asian girl blushed, and wondered if his interest was personal or he was really interested in the flying carpet.

Luna had begun to pack up her books and equipment as soon as Harry had asked. She began to speak. "I would like to fly with you, Harry.." she turned and looked to Hermione, who smiled and nodded slightly. Luna turned her full attention to the green eyed wizard. "I was just reading ahead, it wasn't anything for class." The other girls' eyes were drawn to Luna's stack of books as she slipped them into her bookbag.

Luna and Harry left, going to the Ravenclaw Common room so Luna could retrieve her broomstick. She returned to the common area a few moments later,, dressed oddly, carrying what Harry recognized as a classic

Venhull Darter, a handmade broom that was every bit of 100 years old, and from what he could see, in perfect condition.

"Are you going to be warm enough, Luna?" Harry eyed her odd clothing.

"Oh, I will use some warming charms if I need to, Daddy and I have been in quite hostile environments in our searches for the strange and unusual creatures we hunt." Harry looked dubious. "If you are sure, if you get cold, let me know, I don't want my friends getting sick" He turned and went toward the door, and Luna felt a thrill at the comment about 'his friends' She quickly caught up with him and they walked together out the main door of the castle, and launched into the air on their brooms.

* * *

They wandered along the edge of the lake while they talked, toes skimming the top of the water on occasion. "Why are you dressed so oddly, Luna?, it looks like you put on whatever you could find." The October chill had come to the Scottish Highlands, and Harry could feel it seeping through his heavy cloak. "My roommates think it is quite funny to hide my clothes, I find them dressing gargoyles, hanging from the flagpoles, I just retrieve them and go about my business." she sighed as if it were the only way to do things. "Have you talked to Professor Flitwick, or one of the Prefects?" Luna didn't answer, she hovered, very buglike and circled a stand of water grass poking up out of the shallows. Harry was somewhat awed in that while she was circling, she was flying sideways, like a bug. "I have never seen a broom that could do that,Luna, that is amazing." "Oh yes, this broom was my Mummy's and her mummy's before her, It is designed after a dragonfly, that's why it is backward compared to yours."

"The Venhull Darter is made for close in work, where silence and maneuverability is essential" she quoted from the manual that had come with it. "Although the high end speed is not as quick as some brooms, the advantage for observation and access far outweighs the others."

She smiled at her friend and giggled, then hovered straight up, slid sideways over the forest and headed in the general direction of the castle.

Harry laughed and caught up with her, and they cruised above the forest. Harry pointed out the Acromantula colony and they saw a few of the smaller spiders on the tops of the trees, reaching out for them. "We need to remove those spiders from the forest, you know, they are not natural to this ecology." Luna spoke firmly and with conviction. "What do you mean?" The slowed and circled around the area.

the Spiders will breed until they have eaten everything in the area, and there is no more wildlife to capture.. it is needed for both food and reproduction, you know" Harry and his friends were quickly finding out the depth and breadth of knowledge that Luna apparently had.. even is spite of some of her more colorful creatures.

"The Spiders in this colony, and those around the world capture wildlife and paralyze it, injecting it with a digestive agent, see the pods there?, that's probably a dog or something, that one is bigger, possibly even a troll.. They are captured alive and then as their body is digested, the spiders eat the liquified protein, some of them are saved however, where they inject the eggs into the living creatures and they grow, while eating their host." Harry turned to the side and lost his lunch thinking about the process. "sorry about that..it's just.." She turned into him as they were flying forward and was going along sideways facing him. "It's alright, many biological processes can be fairly unsettling" In order to take his mind off the spiders he looked at her broom. They were going fairly slow, not much more than a brisk walk, and it seemed as if the woven bristles protruding from the front of her broom were vibrating like wings, in fact it looked as if she were riding a huge dragonfly..the wings were in the front, the tail had nothing attached that he could see, and at the very point of the 'broom' was what appeared to be huge eyes.

"Luna, can your broom see?" he looked suspiciously at the 'eyes'

"Oh yes, My grandmother was a creative person, and she was using this to search for seven-toed-singtwaddlers in the amazonian rain forest, and she modified her standard broom to emulate the dragonfly..you know that in that forest there are dragonflies with a two foot wingspan, we have pictures!" she said this proudly. "The 'eyes' record and store the visuals to be searched later, or to see anything we missed in our search, I still have some images of my Mummy from when she was a little girl." In truth, these were some of her most precious possessions.

"That is awesome, If you would let me, I would really like to look closely at her work, I promise I won't hurt anything." The blond girl's eyes gazed at him, and she spoke. "_It is essential that I let you see, because you need the tools to fulfill your destiny."_

* * *

They were heading toward the castle and Luna was speaking of the alien species in the forbidden forest. "The spiders here, once they have eaten everything, including the centaurs, they will come out and start capturing people in Hogsmeade and Hogwarts.. they need to be removed." she said this with a surety that made Harry believe it to his bones. "Then we will do something about it, ok, Luna, You and I, Hermione and Padma would help also, I believe."

She gave a look which he had seen minutes earlier, she said four words:

"Oh, yes, we will"

They came to a clearing in the forest, and saw a group of people setting up tents and what looked like big corrals, with a huge iron stake in the center of each. The swooped down into the clearing and landed. Red hair had attracted his eye. "Hi, Are you Charlie Weasley?, I'm Harry Potter"The muscular young man turned and faced Harry. "I certainly am, you know my brother Ron, I believe?" "I do, and I also know Fred&George, we have worked together on some things." His attitude toward Ron had cooled some, but he wasn't about to jump up and claim the git as his best friend, knowing what the Old man had done to him, trying to make Ron his best friend.

"So what's going on here?", oh sorry, You know Luna Lovegood, she lives near your family?" "Hello again Charles, I see you are surviving the Dragons.." "Yes, nice to see you again, Luna, I heard about your mother, I am sorry" The girl closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly in acceptance. "Thank you, Charles. So, you are setting up Dragon pens?"

she indicated the corrals. "Yes, it's for the Tri-Wizard-Tournament, Are you two excited, this should be quite interesting to watch"

"I'm sure it will be interesting, but I don't want anything to do with it, thank you very much" Luna just faced the young wizard and touched his cheek with a sad look on her face.

* * *

Just after Harry and Luna left the Smart Girl's corner.

"Hermione, what are you doing, letting Harry get away , going out flying with Luna, aren't you worried?" Padma whispered.

Hermione's face had a few emotions flitting across.

"If I get clingy or territorial, he might rebel, and I trust him. He has already told me that I am important to him, and I believe him." she sighed and looked off into some distance. "He asked me to be his girlfriend this summer, and someone obliviated both Harry and myself over it..and fabricated some memories that we spent time with the Weasleys' at the QWC, when I really spent it with my parents, Harry's Godfather and Professor Lupin"

"Professor Lupin?, isn't he a.." "  
Yes he's a Lycan, but he locks himself away on the nights of the full moon, so there's no risk, plus he was friends with Harry's parents." Realization dawned on Padma. "so Sirius Black really is Harry's Godfather?"

"Yes, Sirius is a great guy, he's innocent, you know" The Gryffindor girl closed her notebooks and put away her trigonometry books and gathered the papers she had written to be sent back to The Headington

School. Both girls were surprised when Hedwig flew into the back of the library where they were working.

"Hello, Hedwig, are you well?" Hermione stroked the fine bird. "Do you have a message from Harry?" the great Snowy nodded once and Hermione got an image of the top of Gryffindor tower, the hidden place that she and Harry had found their first flight together. "Ok, I will go to him, Do you think you could deliver this packet to my mother?" Hedwig nodded again, and the girl tied the packet to the great owl. A quick charm, the window opened and let her out, then closed.

Hermione fell back in her chair. "Wow, I have never had that happen before.." Padma raised an eyebrow in question.

"Hedwig showed me an image of what Harry wanted, I saw in my eye..mind..whatever, I saw a place we had found and I believe he wants me to go there now" Padma's other eyebrow raised to match the first. "Hmmm, what could a boy want his girlfriend to come to a hidden place for?..Hmm?" Hermione's blush extended to well beneath her clothes, but was interrupted by the silent pop of Dobby appearing. "Good afternoon, Mistress Hermione, Master Harry asked that I bring you and Miss Padma to the Tower, if you are available." Padma had seen House Elves, and this looked nothing like a House Elf. "Yes, Dobby, give me a minute.. Padma, would you come?" The Asian girl was not about to turn this down, she knew that if Harry was involved, it was likely to be exciting, and interesting. They gathered up their things and put them away, and Dobby took both young women away with a pop.

Madam Pince came back to the table and pushed in an errant chair, looking around for signs of misdoing, Owl mess, damaged books, anything, but found nothing.

* * *

The girls popped into place in the hidden level of Gryffindor tower, and found Harry and Luna there sitting at a table, assorted clothes, that is outer clothes, spread across the table, with parchment and books in-between.

"Ah, good, you're here, Luna and I had an interesting afternoon, and I think both of you should hear some of this." He turned to Padma. "You are a year ahead of Luna, but you are in Ravenclaw territory with her, It would be a huge favor to me if you would watch her back, as it were.. Her roommates seem to think it's funny to steal and hide Luna's clothes, and belongings. I am showing her some warding and retrieval charms that will help her, and I thought you might be interested, both of you."

The young women were a bit excited about this, because they had begun to see the natural brilliance that Harry exhibited with runic work.. it far surpassed the things they were taught in the classes. Certainly, Professor Babbling was the premier runes master in the UK, the only one better worked for the Unspeakables, and no one knew his (or her)name.

"See, here, Luna, put this sequence on your clothes, somewhere, and the item will always come back to it's designated spot.. I recommend in your case, inside your trunk, or do you have an armoire in the Girls' dorms over there? Padma answered. "We have an armoire and a vanity each in third year and as we go up in years, the dorms provide a few more amenities, by seventh year we each have a private room with an en-suite."

Hermione's face shadowed a bit. "I have too share with Lavender and Parvati for seven years, unless I get the Head Girl, in which I will have my own rooms." Padma sighed. "I love my sister, but I understand." she patted the other girl's hand.

Harry drew out a sequence. "These three, and this one at the end is your personal identifier, also we will put a lock on the armoire." "Now, this sequence identifies your clothes or possessions as yours and makes them want to be where they belong, see?" the young women all were awed by the symmetry of the runes. "We can get stick on labels and put it on whatever you want and you will not have to damage anything or mark it permanently."

"How did you learn all this, Harry?" He shrugged. "I live with my muggle relatives, they hate me, they hate magic in any form, I can't do magic over the summer due to the Ministry and their laws, It's unfair, because the Ministry doesn't track pureblood families, just the muggleborn or those like me..in fact, I think they watch me extra close."

Hermione interjected. "Harry and his Godfather put up wards to block the Ministry at my home, and so this summer was the first time my parents could see me do any magic at all, they have never seen me do anything before this." She continued. "Harry created a shirt that he wears that he can be in the same room as his relatives and they don't see him."

This time it was Harry's turn to blush. He distracted the girls by pulling a book out of his ever-present pouch.

"This is the best book on warding that there is. You can't get this book except directly from the Author, as his family has been warding and curse-breaking for 800 years."

They gathered around and were impressed by the inscription by the Author, Jack Golinard and then Harry flipped through the book, to a set of warding sequences. "These will work on trunks, armoires, your liquor cabinet, whatever.. I have modified it a bit, we can create a blood key or a ring key, however you want to do it..the blood key is nearly impossible to get through, unless you or your direct descendant want to get into something, your spouse, your half cousin, no one else but you or your child can get into this."

He showed them the the steps in creating this lock, and it was all stored away for future use. Luna chose a ring, a simple ring with a pearl in it as the trigger. Harry expanded the ring to about two feet across and inscribed the proper runes inside, and re-shrunk it, handing it to the blond Ravenclaw. There was a cabinet in the tower room they occupied. He drew out the cabinet lock and seal on parchment and stuck it inside the door of the cabinet. He closed it, and invited Hermione and Padma to try and unlock it. The did so, and came up with nothing, short of going through the side of the casement.

"Luna?" The younger girl got up from the table and sauntered over to the case and with a wave of her hand, the case popped open. "Very elegant, Miss Lovegood, it looked just like wandless magic" Harry intoned.

The girls all giggled.

"Now then your clothes" He hadn't noticed that Hermione and Padma had slipped his book off the table and were quietly flipping through it and whispering to each other. "Here is the target sequence." he wrote it out and stuck it on the back of the cabinet they were using as an example.

and here is the sequence to use on your possessions." he drew this out also and looked up to see if Luna understood. She smiled and her eyes flicked to the right, where the other girls were flipping and reading and whispering. the young wizard smiled and spoke up, using his best 'Professor' voice.

"Ladies, if you would pay attention?"

The two girls looked up with a bit of shock on their faces at getting caught out. They didn't, however give up the book. "I will let you look at it at your leisure, but you cannot copy it, you have to get your own from Master Golinard." he held out his hand.

Two red faces and they grudgingly handed the book over. Luna and Harry laughed out loud at the look on their faces.

"I'm hungry, shall we go to the Great Hall, or have dinner here."Harry asked his guests. "Here" Hermione didn't even look up from the book she was reading. Padma was helping Luna mark all her clothes with the tags they had designed. Dobby had asked Winky to bring everything of Luna's up to the tower, and they were busy. "yes, here please." they both agreed on it. "Dobby, Winky, could you get us some dinner, please?

The elves popped away, and were back in a few moments with a variety of foods that the students would like.

* * *

Halloween came up, the schools from afar had arrived, from Durmstrang and from Beauxbatons, great and wondrous arrivals, flying carriages and undersea sailing boats. Harry had found his sketchbook with Dobby's help. Once he had re-acquired it he made a copy and stashed it away, with the binding spell shown as an example in his latest Runes text. This made it possible to have a backup copy of everything he wrote and drew in his daily journal, so if it was ever lost or stolen again, he wouldn't actually lose it.

The memory of Tom's diary was still fresh in his mind after two years, and he wondered about how that came to be. Putting a bit of your soul in something didn't seem like a good idea,

* * *

"Dobby, where did you find my sketchbook?" Harry asked of the elf when it had been returned. "It was in the Headmaster's office, along with your invisibility cloak" Harry was enjoying the new and improved Dobby, not so excitable and much easier to understand.

"I see, I didn't even know I had misplaced the cloak. I better lock it up better, it seems my trunk is not too secure, I just found out Ron had taken all my chocolate frogs the other day."

"The Weasel is taking more than your frogs, Harry sir." Harry started at this statement and was about to ask what else Ron had done when he was interrupted by the red haired boy bursting into the room.

Dobby vanished with a barely audible pop.

"Hey mate, Whatcha doing?"

Harry carefully put away his pen and closed his sketchbook, placing it inside the trunk and closing the lid.

"Working on some projects, writing in my sketchbook"

Ron ignored his statement and the quiet look on Harry's face.

"Did you hear, Krum is here, He came with Durmstrang!, Maybe I can meet him, Krum!"

Ron dug in his trunk and pulled out his Krum action figure with real broomstick, and flew him around the room like a five year old.

"Do you think you can introduce me, huh?"

"How would I do that, I don't know him."

"You're the Boy Who Lived, You're famous, you can get by anybody"

Harry rolled his eyes in disgust.

"I'd like to think that I have something more to offer than that"

"What?, don't you like being famous?. you could get any girl you want, you could get in to see the Minister if you wanted.."

Ron zoomed his action figure

"I've met the Minister, he's a jerk." Harry mumbled and got up to leave.

He opened his trunk and retrieved his sketchbook , stuffing it into his pouch, getting his broom and locking the trunk, left the room in disgust.

His footsteps echoed down the stairwell as he left. Ron stuffed his Action Figure in his pocket and tried to open the trunk. He tried an alohomora, and a few other charms and spells. Nothing worked. He gave up and stood. He kicked the trunk and turned to Seamus'. looking for some chocolate.

* * *

The next day, was the 31st. Harry felt like going to hide somewhere for the whole day, since it was the anniversary of his parents murder, and he just wanted to get away from everyone.

Reluctantly he went to the feast, and saw that the Goblet of Fire had been set up in the entry hall. He just stood at the back as people from the various schools put their names into the flames.

That evening there was a great dinner and the Goblet was brought forth. Champions were drawn for each school, and Harry cheered when Cedric's name was pulled out. Everyone got up and was milling about when another name came out of the flames. His.

Anger flowed through him, he looked at Dumbledore, and projected his denial that he had put his name in, the old man just nodded, as if satisfied that things were proceeding apace, and the champions were called into the anteroom.

McGonnegal came to Harry. Mr. Potter, you are to come to the anteroom."

"I didn't put my name in, you have to believe me." he sounded desperate. He sounded like a fourteen year old boy in trouble.

"Professor, please call Sirius, get him here quickly?" he asked as he was dragged into the back room.

* * *

"Sirius Black" the floo flared green and Sirius turned to answer it.. Few people knew he was here at 12. before he answered it, he looked to see who it was. McGonnegal. He could trust her.. he thought.

"Yes, Professor, Is Harry ok?"

"No, Mr Black, he is not. He's not hurt, but he needs you, he asked me to call you. " _ah, so that's how she found out.._"Can I come through?" "Please do, Mr Black" The Scot Professor looked disturbed.

It was near a full moon and Mooney was feeling poorly, so he didn't leave a note, the note wouldn't be seen for three days anyway. Sirius knew he was forgetting something, but couldn't remember what. There were gaps in his memory, gaps filled with dementors and screaming.

* * *

"Mr Potter, you must participate, your name came out of the Goblet. It is a Binding Contract.

"I'm 14, I couldn't get past the age line if I wanted to, I didn't put my name in, I tell you" _ idiots, every one of them. _"How do I prove to you that I didn't do it?"

"Your name came out, so you must have, therefore you must participate"

This was from Barty Crouch Sr.

Harry noticed that the old mans eyes looked a bit odd, and was about to say something, but was interrupted by the French girl, Fleur something..Delacroix?.. "He iz obviously lying, make heem confess or drop out." Harry spun on the French girl, his anger radiating. She tried to put up a front with her Veela allure to manipulate him. the other men in the room all felt it, some more than others, but Harry shrugged it off.

"I. Did. Not. Put. My. Name. In." his eyes drilled into hers, and she flinched first, scurrying back to the protective arms of Madam Maxine.

He looked to Dumbledore who was entirely unaffected by the allure for some reason.

"I'm sorry, young Harry, it appears you must participate. I will look into how your name got into the Goblet."

_/you probably put it there you old asshole/ _Harry pulled out his wand and held it up for all to see. _/I wish Sirius were here/._ "I solemnly swear on my life and my magic that I did not put my name in the Goblet, I did not ask anyone to put my name in the goblet, I do not know how my name got into the goblet.." His wand and his whole body glowed blue, so brightly everyone flinched. He levitated a chair without a word.

"I didn't enter into this fucking contest in any way shape or form. if my name came out of that bloody goblet, then the person who put it there should suffer the consequences." with that he turned and marched out of the room.

* * *

Sirius changed into Padfoot in front of McGonnegal and galloped away down the hall as fast as he could run. "Mr Black"! Sirius, Come Back!"

McGonnegal shouted as he ran away. her voice trailed off. "There are Aurors and the Minister there.." she ended up in a whisper.....

Harry pulled his invisibility cloak closely and moved as quickly and quietly as he could out of the Great Hall, and didn't notice as he turned to go up the steps to his dorm that a large black dog came galloping up an adjacent corridor. Padfoot came running into the room where the champions were, along with the Minister, and several Ministry officials. He transformed just as he entered the door, yelling for Harry. He was completely inside when he realized just what he had run into.

He was grabbed by four Aurors who bound him and incarcerated him. The last thing he heard was the Minister shouting.

"Get a Dementor in here, I want him kissed immediately.!"

edit 2-16-10


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Power (They Do Not Use)

_previously:_

_Sirius changed into Padfoot in front of McGonnegal and galloped away down the hall as fast as he could run. "Mr Black"! Sirius, Come Back!"_

_McGonnegal shouted as he ran away. her voice trailed off. "There are Aurors and the Minister there.." she ended up in a whisper....._

_Harry pulled his invisibility cloak closely and moved as quickly and quietly as he could out of the Great Hall, and didn't notice as he turned to go up the steps to his dorm that a large black dog came galloping up an adjacent corridor. Padfoot came running into the room where the champions were, along with the Minister, and several Ministry officials. He transformed just as he entered the door, yelling for Harry. He was completely inside when he realized just what he had run into._

_He was grabbed by four Aurors who bound him and incarcerated him. The last thing he heard was the Minister shouting._

_"Get a Dementor in here, I want him kissed immediately.!"_

* * *

Harry had gone to his dorm and was banging around in anger at the lack of support from the Old Man, and the fact that he asked McGonnegal to call Sirius and he hadn't shown up.

"Dobby!" the elf popped into the room. He waited silently for Harry to speak. "Would you keep an eye out for when Sirius shows up, I really need to talk to him. Dobby just summoned the Marauders map from out of his locked trunk and handed it to him. "Mr Padfeet Black is already here." Harry was about to jump up and rush off again when Dobby stopped him. "He is captured" Harry stopped dead. "I'm doing it again, aren't I..ok, I need to think." he opened the map and activated it. he looked around and quickly found Sirius, surrounded by Aurors, and there in the same room was Fudge, Snape and Dumbledore.

"gotta do something, something. What to do?" he mumbled to himself. "We could go in there and jump him out of there, like when you took the girls up to the tower." he was looking at Dobby. "No, they would know who it was. no one has seen you yet, right?" Dobby shook his head no. "I have been keeping a low profile. a few elves know I am here, but none of the staff" Dobby stood out as an elf, because Harry had freed him from part of the bondage on the elf race. His body had grown considerably, and he looked healthier, and on a personal level was smarter, more coherent and his speech was quite a bit better.

"I would rather not, just at this moment, but if needs to be, I will do it."

"Thank you Dobby, As long as there are no dementors around, we should be all right." I need to call someone for help.. Mrs Tonks..I can use the floo in the Infirmary, Madam Pomfrey will let me." They were interrupted when a delivery was made. Hedwig had stopped at the call of Mooney, as she somehow knew that she needed to pick up a package for her Harry-wizard.

She dropped the package in his hands, and he looked closely at it..it was a miniature trunk,with a tag on it which said. "You know the pass phrase"

in Mooney's handwriting. He set the trunk down at his feet and intoned "I solemnly swear I am up to no good"

The trunk expanded to full size and Harry fingered the lock. He utilized the phrase again and realized he would have to change it.. too many people knew the phrase. If even one person knew it who was not authorized....He stood there for a moment before he opened the trunk.

He sighed and opened the trunk. There on top were a pair of mirrors, each had a yellow post-it saying Harry, Hermione. with a small bit about how to utilize them. Harry picked one up and activated it, Mooney, are you there?! Anybody, Help?" there was a pause as the mirror fogged and Andromeda Tonks appeared. "What's wrong, Harry? Are you hurt?"

"everything's wrong, Sirius has been captured and the Minister wants him kissed, he's being held at Hogwarts, the Minister is here, and I don't know what to do.. I mean, I can get him out of there, but then what?"

and the Tournament and..." all this came out in a rush.

"Calm Down, Harry, calm down.. first, do you think Sirius is in immediate danger, do I have time to get there?" He looked at the map. Sirius was inside a locked room with two Aurors, Fudge, Dumbledore and Snape were outside that door.

"Sirius is inside a locked room with two Aurors.

Fudge, the old man and Snape are outside the door."

"How do you intend to get him out of there?"

"I have Dobby with me, he is an Elf and he can pop in past any wards and retrieve Sirius." "Is there any other way besides snatch and grab?"

"Well, if he still has it on, we all had targeted portkeys after the Quidditch World Cup, but the target stone is in the Granger's back garden, and if they traced it, the Grangers might get in trouble." He was feeling a bit frantic, not knowing what was going on.

"Can the target stone be moved?"

"I don't see why not, sure."

"Ok, I will call Jake Granger and ask him to move it to a safe location, you go and find out if Sirius still has his portkey with him, and see if you can cause any delays, confuse or stop the Ministry." "Ok, I will, I will take the mirror with me also, and give one to Hermione."

"That's good Idea, Harry, stay safe, I will call you as soon as I know something."

Harry stuffed the mirror and the map in his pockets and raced out of the room, but not before shrinking and hiding the trunk.

* * *

Andy Tonks left a few messages with members of the Wizengamot that she had a relationship with, she made a call to the media outlets to meet her at Hogwarts.. there were reporters from several of the media outlets there anyway, since today was to be the drawing of names for the Tri-wizard tournament.

Once her calls were done, she apparated to the Granger household, appearing in the back garden as was the usual for Sirius and Mooney. She had met with the Grangers a few times and had spoken at length about raising a daughter in the magical world.

She was about to knock on the back door when Miranda Granger noticed her in the back garden and opened the door for her. "Andy, what are you doing here, is everything all right?"

"No, Miranda, I'm afraid its not.. The kids are unhurt as far as I know, it's Sirius..From what I can figure out, Harry needed help because he was entered into that stupid tournament against his will, and Sirius just charged in without thinking, right into the arms of the Aurors and the Minister himself.. He's been arrested and is held in a locked room with no escape and they want to execute him on the spot."

Andy's normally calm demeanor, which had served her well in court many times was slipping.. as she realized just how much trouble her cousin was in right now. Miranda hugged the older woman and called for her husband. Jake came in and heard most of the explanation, and asked "What are you here for, what can we do to help?"

"Harry remembered that he, er Sirius might still have his portkey on him.. and he wanted to port Sirius out of there, but the target stone is in your back garden.. he wanted to move it somewhere anonymous, so you don't get into trouble..you see.." "I understand.. I will just go dig it up and we'll toss it in the Rover and take a ride, ok?" Miranda, take care of Andy..

" Jake bolted out the back door and trotted to the shed. He pulled out a spade and quickly dug the target stone out of the ground. He refilled the hole and put the shovel under the stone.. it was too heavy to carry. he dragged the stone out the side gate and up to the front of the garage, and with a heave, lifted it into the back of the Rover. "Miranda, Andy, get the medical kit and get out to the Rover, now!" He went back and closed the gate, closed the garage door and opened the passenger doors as the ladies came out, bearing a first aid kit and a blanket.

They piled in and hit the road. Jake was concentrating on the road, and he quietly told the ladies where he was going. "There is an industrial construction site outside town a bit, it's late, Saturday night, I think we can slip in and out without too much trouble."

Miranda nodded in agreement. this was a place familiar to her as well, They were part of a consortium of doctors and medical professionals who were investing in real estate as a retirement opportunity. This construction site was wide open and several buildings were underway.

On the whole it was an anonymous place.

"Andy, can you get in contact with Mooney, or Harry?"

"Yes, I can, let me do that.." she got out the Mirror that Sirius had sent her, and that Harry had just called her on..She sent the signal to Harry while she spoke. "Mooney isn't available tonight, it's the full moon and Moonrise is in an hour or so.."

"I see. ok, here we are..uh-oh, police.."

Jake pulled over and waved the Police car down. "Hello Officers, I just wanted to let you know, my wife and I are investors in these properties and we were showing our friend around tonight, so, we are authorized to be here, By the way, I am Dr Jake Granger, and my wife is Dr Miranda Granger.." he kept it friendly and upbeat, he was an upstanding citizen and had nothing to hide.. One of the officers recognized him. "I thought I recognized you, you and your wife are my family dentists, My wife Joyce and the kids Anya and Aaron." Jake smiled. I recall them quite well, Aaron had one single filling and a chipped front tooth, and Anya had some issues with a crooked incisor that we fixed. Good to see you Officer." The officers in the car were all smiles as the Doctor's bona fides were expressed. "Have a good evening, be seeing you" The police wagon moved away, down the road and out of sight.

Jake returned to the Rover. "Officer James Krespic, Daughter Anya, Son Aaron. We have free rein here." he grinned and they moved out.

Three minutes later they pulled up to a site where some masonry was being set in place. there were piles of bricks, and near the mortar mixer was a huge pile of sand. Andy realized what Jake was doing as he opened the tailgate of the Rover. he was about to lift the rock when she interrupted with her wand. "Let me." he nodded and took the shovel and quickly dug a hole in the sandpile. The rock was set in place as Miranda get the Medikit ready.

"Call Harry"

Andy activated the mirror again. "We're ready." she kept it active but muted.

* * *

Harry ran down to the Great Hall, pushing past people and heading toward the anteroom door.

"Hey, watch it"

Malfoy got in Harry's face and shoved a badge in his vision "Potter Stinks" it flashed in a repetitive pattern. "Hey scarhead what do you think, huh?"

Harry never stopped his forward motion. "I think you are a pouf , with daddy issues and you are destined for a career in gay theater." Inasmuch as this was said while making his way through a great crowd of people from all three schools, there was considerable laughter. Draco drew his wand and shot a curse at Potter's back, missing him entirely. Unfortunately it hit a Beauxbatons student, a female. The girl's teeth started growing at an alarming rate.

Malfoy was immediately seized and dragged screaming before Madam Maxime. The blond boy's actions were explained and Madam Maxime had her security detail take Malfoy into custody, to be turned over to French Aurors.

"You can't do this to me, You know who I am, You know who my father is?" he was shouting. Maxime turned around at this last, and bent down to face the boy directly. "Oh yes, I know who your father is, a pathetic Death Eater toady with delusions of Grandeur.. a perfect example of why the last of the Malfoy clan was driven out of Francais in 1789"

"You, however will be our guest in the Bastille until the court can be convened." She turned to the security detail. "Take him away" They did as Dumbledore attempted to intervene. "Maxime, surly you don't need to incarcerate the boy, I'm sure it was just a harmless prank.." Maxime turned on the old wizard. "You may consider it a harmless prank, but I consider it an attack on one of my students..do not make me reconsider Beauxbatons participation in your event." She turned and marched away, followed by all her students.

Hermione watched wistfully, wondering what her schooling would have been like if she had gone to Beauxbatons.

* * *

Harry slipped into the anteroom under his cloak, backed up with a wizard grade notice-me-not spell. The occupants of the room did not even realize that their eyes slipped right over his existence. He slid over to the door of the room where Sirius was being held and used his runic key to enter.

The Aurors watching over Sirius turned to see what was going on, but when their eyes encountered Harry's' Notice-Me-Not, they seemed to lose interest in the door. Sirius, however said nothing, he didn't even look toward the door. He had seen this scenario before with James. One of the two Aurors stood directly in front of Sirius, taunting him with their capture of the 'heinous criminal' he was. The other stood back, watching. He was taken out silently, bound and petrified in a moment. The other Auror noticed Black's eyes twitch behind him for a nanosecond. He turned to question why, and didn't see the stunner and petrificus that got him. Sirius grunted, but was freed in a second when Harry did a finite on his bindings.

The mirror was activated. "Incoming" Harry turned to Sirius. "Go, be safe, we'll work something out." Sirius nodded, held his wrist up to his mouth and whispered "bugout"

Harry renewed his charms and got under his cloak and moved into the corner. "Finite' he whispered and the two aurors were revived and freed.

"What happened.. uhhhh, where's Black? How did he get out?""Oh shit. there goes my pension.."

They opened the door of the room and stomped out. "Who let Black out, what are you people thinking!" the other was loudly stating "If I find out which one of you people let Black out, I will arrest you and have you kissed in his place" Harry used the confusion and ranting to slip out of the room and back to quieter climes. On the way he saw Hermione and whispered into her ear 'meet me in the Tower at Midnight." She kept walking as if nothing had been said, but he saw a slight nod of understanding.

Sirius spun through the ether, and landed in a pile of sand with a thump. Andy Tonks and Jake Granger pulled him up, and Jake was frantically unburying the target rock. As soon as Sirius figured out what was going on, he helped, and within a minute they had it loaded in the back of the Rover and another minute, they were driving down the A23, Jake and Miranda in the front, Andy in the back, and Padfoot on the floor, hidden under a blanket.

* * *

The real aurors, not the blowhards that were assigned to guard Fudge came into the room which had held Black.. They did the appropriate tests and found that a portkey had been used. They copied the signature, and had to leave the wards to be able to use their tools. The two working aurors stepped outside the gate and stood back to back, wands drawn. They hooked their left arm over their partner's wand arm and that way they were ready for anything upon arrival. Their programmable tracer portkey was voice activated, so once set in place, they activated it. "Trace one" the lead Auror set things in motion.

The two found themselves standing in a pile of sand at a construction site in Lambsgreen, West Sussex.

* * *

Harry returned to his room and slumped down in his bed. He had a mirror to contact people now, just now those people needed to be available..

something came to him. He realized he may have made a mistake.

He looked at the time. 10:23, good. "Winky" The small elf appeared and curtsied. "Yes, Mister Harry?" Harry got off the bed and knelt on one knee so he could be face to face with the small elf. "Winky, would you like to be free of the curse that was set upon the elves and be whole, like Dobby?"

The small elf's eyes went wide. "You can do that?,I thought that it was because Dobby was not.. you know...right" This was a bit of a surprise to harry, that even the elves thought that Dobby was a bit off..

"er, right.. no, the curse can be ended by one of the descendants of Godric Gryffindor or anyone who can access the Sword of Gryffindor." He held out his hand, and the Sword appeared.

"The curse was generational, and apparently it was passed from parent to child for many generations.. I have the book that describes this curse and how it works.. I would be glad to remove it for you"

"I would like that very much"

"Very well, I will speak the spell in English so you understand it.."

He stood and pointed the Sword at the small elf. "Let the bondage curse of generations be cast off this Good Elf Winky. I find her innocent of any wrongdoing, and as such she is set free, now, by the truth of Magic, so mote it be" A light shot out of the Sword and enveloped the elf, cutting all ties to a curse, cutting all bondage. She was free and able to do anything she wanted from this point on in her life. Harry called Dobby.

Winky's older brother popped into the room, and was ecstatic that she was set free. He made her drink a few potions that were to help her stabilize her new growth, and have strong bones and muscles. Winky sat, resting, because having your body regrown was somewhat strenuous..Harry was talking to her. "Winky, I would like to offer you the same deal as Dobby has, I will pay you for your services, and over your expenses, since you will be wanting some nice clothes for yourself, and maybe a comb for your hair." he grinned. She was wide eyed, as she grabbed her head, finding hair there for the first time in her life. Long wavy and pure black with a bronze tint, which offset her greenish skin nicely. He held up a mirror for her to see, and was pleased by her happiness.

She calmed herself and asked: what do you want me to do for you, Mister Harry?" Harry looked at his watch, still time. "I want you to look out after three ladies who are friends of mine, I will give you access to an account to take care of any expenses, and you are to have a savings of your own, in case you want something some day.."

"Never mind that, who are the ladies?" the elf seemed excited.

Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, and Padma Patil. They are all friends of mine and I want them to be safe. Luna has been having her clothes stolen and damaged, Hermione sometimes gets pushed around by the bigots, and Padma, well, I don't know what she needs, but she's friend with Hermione and Luna.

"I will see to it starting right now" Winky was about to pop away.

"Wait a moment please.. First, you are not my slave, you are my friend, and you also work for me. No one can order you to do anything ever again, not even me..what you do is your own decision and choice."

Second..there are evil people after me, and by association,my friends.. Hermione in particular is very important to me.. I would give my life for her without hesitation.."

"That's good to hear" Harry spun around to see Hermione standing in the doorway. "Hullo, Hermione, I was about to ask Winky to bring you something.". He reached into his new trunk and pulled out the mirror with her name on it "Here you go. when it vibrates, push the button on the corner and talk." he pulled out his and spoke. "Hermione" She looked up to answer, but then her mirror vibrated. she looked down to see his grinning face. "Now you don't have to risk curfew so we can talk, and Sirius and Mooney have one also. if you want we can make some for your parents, but I would have to put a charging rune on it to keep it working."

she put the thing down and hurried into Harry's arms. "Can we make them for Luna and Padma also?" He frowned. "I don't know, I am not sure who owns the patent, I will ask." she hugged him.

* * *

After Winky was squared away, Harry called Andy Tonks to find out about Sirius.

"Mrs Tonks..Andy?"

it took a moment, but he mirror cleared and Andromeda Tonks face was visible. "Yes, Harry, are you all right, Sirius was worried about you getting out of there." "No worries, I walked right past them, leaving chaos in my wake." he joked, relieved that Sirius was free. Harry heard a bark. The light in the mirror was odd, moving. Andy noticed his look. "We're in the Grangers vehicle, Jake is taking the target stone somewhere safe for now." Harry felt Hermione jump at the mention of her parents. He grinned. "Hermione is here with me, I think she's feeling antsy about talking to her parents, so maybe we can make some time later, ok?"

"That will be fine, did you give her the mirror Mooney made for her?"

"Yes, how easy is it to make these mirrors, is there a limit?"

No, look in the Marauders Manual, That's what Mooney tells me , it is there. Now on to important things, when you called Sirius before, you indicated that you were in trouble."

Harry's face fell. "Yes, someone has entered me into the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I didn't put my name in, but my name came out."

"I'm sorry but I got mad and cursed at the headmaster and everybody, and I swore an oath that I had nothing to do with it.. as you can see, I can still do magic."

"That's unfortunate, You have not admitted to anything at all?" "No"

"Good, I will be there in the morning, Dumbledore had better have some good answers." "All right. Can Hermione's parents talk to her now?"

"Sure, here, I'll pass this over, and we'll have a mirror for them by tomorrow, ok?" "That would be great, thanks." Harry smiled and passed the mirror to Hermione who was excited about being in almost real contact. "Hi sweetie, how are you doing" Harry could hear Miranda's voice coming out of the mirror.

He moved away and put away his tools and cloak into his pouch. I'm going to have to make a bigger pouch soon, or maybe pants with more pockets.. something." the thought crossed his mind.

He pulled the new trunk out of his hiding space and opened it, setting aside Hermione's mirror.. they were the same or not? He looked at it closely and read the control runes on the back and there in the fine print..

* * *

(Harry's stream of consciousness)

_"Hermione.. oh well, this one was hers, then. Might be useful in tracking her or the like. Andy had said that it was in the __Marauder's Manual__.. go through the book section..Merlin! how many books did they stick in here anyway.. oh.. an index..fifteen thousand?. Holy crap, that's a lot of books!_

_better start with this one.." He took the trunk and everything and climbed into his bed silenced the curtains and sat back to read. _

* * *

Some time later he was woken by a warm presence which was laying against his side. He shifted and saw Hermione sleeping quietly, leaning against him, a book in her lap. "Hey.. hey there.." he quietly nudged the bushy haired girl. "You should wake up and go to bed, you'll get sore lying there like that."

she shifted and sat up.

Harry quickly checked his silencing and sealing charms.. his bed was bigger on the inside than the outside, but only when things were sealed up and charmed correctly. He had shown Hermione his charms and runes to do this, and she had done the same to her bed. "What time is it?" she was a bit groggy. "Tempus" "uh-oh.. its 3 am.." She came awake in an instant

_"Oh no, what will people think.. omigod,what am I going to do, they'll gossip and.._" "Calm down, calm down.. we can get you into bed without anyone knowing, no problem.. first, did you leave anything out there?" he pointed out to the dorm room. "Umm, no, I have my mirror, and yours, I have everything."

"Good..Winky" he was whispering.. there were silencing charms but he whispered anyway..Winky popped into the enclosed bed. "Hello Mister Harry, Miss Hermione. what can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry if I woke you, Winky, but Hermione needs to get to her bed without being seen, can you handle that?"

"I wasn't sleeping, too much energy, your magic is powerful, and the magic of three powerful and smart witches, I don't think I will have to sleep at all now."

Winky and Dobby were not bound to Harry or anybody, but by being associated they drew magic from their friends and employers. It was a win-win situation. Hermione had an idea for improving the conditions for house elves and maybe freeing themselves from the ancient curse and bondage.

"Are you ready, Miss?" Hermione smiled at her new Elvin friend. "One second." She quickly grabbed Harry and kissed him and then the two females were gone, leaving behind a stunned Harry.

* * *

Sirius , the next day.

Sirius stayed with the Grangers the next day, he kept to his animagus form, of a large black dog. They figured he looked close enough to a Black Lab that he would look like a family pet.

He conjured up a food and water dish, and a loose collar with license tags so he blended in and wasn't taken in by animal control. He also had a tag which stated. "If found, call Drs Granger at..."

The Grangers were glad to have someone from the magical world who was sympathetic to their worries over their child, and could explain a lot of things they didn't understand. Andromeda and her husband Ted both commanded Sirius to stay undercover at all times, until they could clear his name, both in the magical and the mundane world.

* * *

Andy Tonks the next day

Andromeda Tonks worked full time in the magical world's version of the legal profession. Her full time job from this point on was to represent the Black and Potter clans, both legally and in media, news and commercial ventures. Her husband, Ted Tonks was working full time on the mundane side of that same equation. Apparently the Potter clans owned quite a few businesses and properties. Ted was spending many hours a day finding out the stratus of each and every one. He had a team of muggleborne witches and wizards who were working for him, as interns and assistants. The people who did the scut work of the legal professionals.

"Mr Tonks?" "Yes, Mindy, what can I do for you.?" "I have the real estate reports for you sir. Alphabetically by city, with an addendum concerning each, as you requested." Ted scanned the lists, which took up several pages. He grunted at a few of these in surprise, knowing what he knew of the client. "Very good, Mindy, you have done quite well, this is very thorough, thank you." The young legal witch turned to leave. "Mindy?.." "Yes, Mr Tonks?" "My wife, Andromeda has been looking for an assistant, would you like to be considered for the job?" "Oh, yes!. Please I would love to be her assistant.!" "all right then, we will be talking to you tomorrow about it, there are some risks you need to know about. As I said before, You did a good job on this, take the rest of the day off with pay, on me" The young witch squeaked and smiled and ran out of the room, then came back in. "Thank you!" and whizzed out again.

Ted picked up the phone and pushed the button on his wife's side of the practice. "I think I have your assistant, dear."

* * *

Harry, the next day:

Harry stretched and creaked as he woke up. his roommates were all gone, apparently he had overslept, but he didn't particularly care. He knew that Sirius was safe, and Mrs Tonks was doing whatever she could legally to get him free. "Doesn't make any sense how magical people do things." he grumbled. "It's like they will believe any lie that is told to them, not a one seems to check out the facts, unless it supports their particular bias."

He came out of the showers, wrapped in a towel, drying his hair, when he was petrifies and bound. He found himself lying on his bed, wrapped up in ropes, nothing able to move, but his eyes.

Albus Dumbledore moved into his field of vision. "You are correct, young Harry, people will believe any lies they are told, I have used that to my advantage for many years..now then. Your outburst last night was not a useful thing, you see, I need you to be a part of this tournament, and I will see it happen, or some of your...shall we say..friends, might have an

unfortunate accident."

Harry blanked his mind and brought up thoughts of Ron being captured and tortured by Voldemort. The Old Man's eyes twinkled. "ahh, yes, there it is..now, did you have anything to do with the escape of Sirius Black last night?" Harry brought up thoughts of Sirius last year in the shrieking shack, the confrontation with Pettigrew, where Peter admitted to betraying the Potters. "Oh, I see, you still believe Peter to be in the wrong.. I'm Sorry, but Peter has to stay where he is..Obliviate! Harry felt the magic wash over him, and he assumed a blank look on his face, hoping he didn't lose too much, he felt his shields do their job, and the entire conversation thus far. _"Your name came out of the Goblet of Fire and you accepted that you must participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. You have no knowledge of where Black is, and will not attempt to contact him again. Ronald Weasley is your best friend, and you trust him implicitly, Miss Weasley is a pretty girl and she is your soul mate. You have feelings for her, and someday you will marry her."_

Harry just looked blankly at the wall and slowly let consciousness seep back into his eyes. He found himself walking out of the shower room, drying his hair, but his skin was completely air dried. He then found his clothes in his old trunk and managed to dress privately, assuming there was a voyeur in the room.

* * *

Hermione, the next day.

The bushy haired Gryffindor was up and dressed early and was sitting in the common room waiting for her Harry, while reading a book. She heard a whisper "Tower, after breakfast, Winky will get you there." She didn't react to the voice, but put a bookmark in and closed her book and put it away. She walked over to the boys side of the stairway and yelled up the spiral. "Harry I'm going to breakfast now" and gathered her things and left through the entrance hole, swinging the portrait a bit wider than was necessary.

She walked a while and met up with Padma and they walked to breakfast together.

* * *

"Mrs Tonks, Andy, yes, I remember.. I had another incident this morning."

"What kind of incident?" "Dumbledore came into my dorm room and obliviated me." "And how do you remember this, if he obliviated you?"

"Well, first he talked about how I needed to participate in the Tournament, and how much trouble I was causing him, he told me that if I didn't some of my friends would suffer, or possibly die. He asked questions about Sirius and where he was hiding, The first about my friends, I imagined Ron being crucioed, and when he asked about Sirius, I replayed the memory of when we had Wormtail in our hands." Harry looked disgusted. "I think he sent Wormtail to Voldemort to make sure my parents were killed."

Andy looked at the young man in the mirror. "How did you keep from being obliviated? "I can throw off the Imperious, Moody cast it on us in class. I imagined my mind as if it were me, and I cast a shield spell. I could feel the magic he cast slipping off like oil and ice."

"Good, you need to teach what you did to your friends as well, and make them exercise it, you need to practice meditation and centering yourself every day. I am going to line up an occlumency tutor for you as soon as I can, so if you want your friends to participate, let me know"

"That would be great, thank you" "For now, I want you to act as if you are following orders, Don't worry about the so-called contract, you did not sign anything with intent to enter the contest, it cannot affect you. However, it CAN affect the one who did the deed." "Ok, I will keep a low profile if I can." "Good man, next.. You will be getting interview requests because you are younger than the other champions by three years, you have to take control of the interview, don't let people manipulate you into saying something you don't want said.. as of this time there is no law in the Wizarding world against slanderous or libelous statements. " "Ummm, what does that mean, that they can say anything they want about me and get away with it?"

"That's right, so get the reporter or whomever on your side." "yes, ma'am" "Now for the biggest problem you might run into with the Media.. Rita Skeeter." "Isn't she a gossip writer?, I've seen her name with some outrageous stories?" "yes, and a great deal of them are, shall we say, enhanced?" "I see, got it.. so what do I do, kill her?" Harry was feeling a bit pressured. "No, I don't think it will come to that, quite yet. get her on your side, tell her what you want her to write about, don't let her lead you. use that power of yours to charm women." "Oh, Really, then what about Hermione and Miranda Granger, My daughter Dora, speaks well of you...need I list more?"

"Yes, Ma'am, what else.." he sighed. Andy Tonks smiled at the young man in her mirror. "It will be ok, ?Harry, we'll get you through this" "I know, it's just that.." He sighed again.."Excuse me a minute Harry, I need to take this call quickly..." she muted the mirror and called Winky. She had been told of the freeing of the small elf, and how she had taken on the protection and care of three witches. Winky popped in. "You are not anyone I have met before, what can I do for you.?" "Hello, Winky, I am Andromeda Tonks, and I am Harry's Solicitor, I take care of his legal needs, and anything else I can do for him, much like you and Dobby look out for him.." Winky turned her head to look at the witch..then stood straight. "What can I do for You, Ms Andromeda?" "Harry is feeling lonely, and needs someone to hug him, could you go find Hermione and get her to wherever Harry is hiding?"

"No, sorry, I cannot, she is in classes right now, but I will see to his need." she popped away silently. Andy rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror. In the mirror, which was still muted, she saw Winky holding Harry tightly, hugging him like a baby. His eyes were closed, but she could see the pain in his spirit was receding.

She unmuted the mirror. Harry noticed her patiently waiting and disentangled himself from the Elf. "Thank you Winky, I needed that"

"Yes, Ma'am, what do I need to do with Rita Skeeter.

"Well, first thing Harry, do not let her use an acid green quill, provide her with one of your own to use, if you can engrave the runes of truth on it so she can only write the truth. Next, offer her an exclusive.. make her the promise that every interview this year will be hers only, and go from there.. Give her an exclusive headline story, and she'll be your friend for life, or until the next exclusive comes along..just remember what and who you are dealing with." Andromeda got a sly grin on her face, as she went to school with Rita. "Tell her that if she doesn't cooperate with you, 'you will squash her like a bug', remember that phrase, Harry.. like a bug."

They talked for almost an hour more after that...

* * *

Harry stayed in the hidden level of Gryffindor tower the whole day, he didn't come out for meals, anything. Hermione made it up there after breakfast with Winky's help, and they talked all the way through the first class of the day. Padma shared that class, so she was taking notes. Harry told her of how Dumbledore had obliviated him and the commands that were placed on him. He told of the way he felt there was a voyeur in his room while getting dressed, he wished he had an eye like Moody's where he could see invisible people, Hermione said she had an idea, and would tell him later. The time came for the next class, and Hermione had to leave, Harry stayed where he was and meditated on the kiss she gave him before she left. He was beginning to like this. He called Andromeda Tonks and they talked for a long, long time.

* * *

Daily Prophet Headline:

Boy-Who-Lived makes offer of 10,000 Galleon bounty on Dead Hero?

by Rita Skeeter.

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived has

made an offer to the general public,

to anyone who can provide the live

and mostly undamaged Peter Pettigrew

to the DMLE for questioning under

veritaserum, He stated that Pettigrew

is NOT the hero he was made out to be,

and was in fact, the betrayer of his Parents,

James and Lily Potter.. Everyone knows

the story of that night when

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attacked

the Potter's home in Godrics Hollow,

killing the two young parents and attempting

to kill Harry himself, but by some arcane magic,

the killing curse bounced off the young

child and destroyed the Dark Lord.

What Mr Potter asks is that the truth be

told and his Godfather Sirius Black be given

a trial, and questioned under Veritaserum,

as the escaped Black has never had a trial,

or has ever been questioned in any way, by

the Ministry, by the Aurors, anybody.

At the time, Minister Bagnold at the behest

of Mr Barty Crouch and others, cast Black into

Azkaban, assuming he was responsible for the

betrayal and death of the Potters.

"I was there when we cornered Peter Pettigrew,

had him bound and he admitted to betraying

my parents, he admitted to killing thirteen muggles

and cutting off his finger as a diversion."

when asked how Pettigrew escaped the explosion

Potter answered "He is an illegal animagus, a rat

to be specific. He changed as the street blew up,

escaping into the sewers." When asked about the

betrayal of the Potters, the young man said this:

"My Godfather was not a perfect person, but then none

of us are perfect, not you, not me, no one. but this is

the truth. Sirius Black was not only my father's best

friend, but_ he was his bonded blood brother. He could_n't 

_betray his brother without dying himself." _

When asked about the fidelius charm that supposedly

hid his parents at Godric's Hollow, he replied:

"Ask the Headmaster, He cast the charm, and he

knows who the secret keeper is, and he's known

all along." So why did Headmaster Dumbledore

never say anything in Black's defense? Potter

shrugged. "I don't know why the man does

anything, you'll have to ask him."

This reporter could not get any further answers

out of Harry Potter, but the young man did permit

us to photograph his memories in a Penseive

of Pettigrew in both his Human and Animagus form

If you should have knowledge of where this

criminal is, you can be awarded the

ten thousand Galleon reward for his

capture, preferably alive. Contact the DMLE

with your prisoner, and they will release the

funds upon proof.

On another note, concerning the ongoing

controversy which seems to always surround Potter,

he was asked about his entry into the Tri-Wizard

Tournament, and he said this:

"I swore on my magic and my life that

I did not enter this tournament, in any way,

shape or form. I swore this in front of the Ministry

officials, in front of the Headmasters of

three schools of magic. I am still alive, I can still do

magic, so that proves something, I think."

When asked why he was still participating in the

TWT, he sad "the Headmaster told me that the

contract was binding, and that I had to,, so who's to say?

"It seems that if a contract I didn't sign is still binding,

Then we should just get an old school paper from the

Head Boy of 1945 and write a contract that says

"I Tom Marvolo Riddle will never attack or harm

anyone ever again", attach the name to it and

there' you're completely clear and done with V********

This reporter asked who this Tom Riddle was and the

Boy Who Lived wrote out the name in fire , rearranged the

letters, an anagram for 'I Am LORD V********'

The Daily Prophet was inundated with letters and Howlers

There were pictures of Pettigrew in both forms, and a third picture of Harry doing the fiery letters, changing the name into a quote. This made many people angry and afraid.

It also made many people look very carefully at the passers-by. Three days later, Pettigrew was stunned in Knockturn Alley. Before he was turned in for reward, his stunned body was stolen and recaptured at least three, possibly as many as five times. Eventually he was turned into the Ministry and an anonymous person gathered a reward. Pettigrew was kept in anti-magic cuffs and shackles, and kept in a secure box. There were some aurors who had some sense.. Shacklebolt, Roberds.. a few others.

* * *

Amelia Bones contacted her niece and they talked soon after via floo.

"Susan, what's going on with Potter?"

"I don't know Auntie, it seems that every year he is in some kind of trouble or confrontation, and it's never really his fault.."

"Is he a troublemaker?"

"No, that's just the thing, he is the nicest, most polite boy I have met here at Hogwarts, if he got into trouble, it's because things have been thrown at him that no one should have to deal with.. and it seems like the Headmaster is letting it happen somehow."

This did not set well with Amelia.

She had worked with James Potter and Sirius Black. She knew that they were best friends and that the likelihood of one betraying the other was slim and none. She didn't recall the circumstances of the arrest and incarceration of Black, but those records were sealed.

By Dumbledore.

There was much that she needed to know about Potter. His Solicitor, Andromeda Black had called her and informed her about their intention to offer a reward for Pettigrew. She didn't like it, but decided to let them have their way with it.

Pettigrew was brought in, somewhat the worse for wear.. her Aurors, the ones she could trust,anyway reported a running battle up through Knockturn alley, spilling out into Diagon Alley, the last participant taking the unconscious and bound Pettigrew directly to the DMLE in the Ministry. The 'captor', was not much different than his prisoner, in fact, she thought, that if they ran a check on this person, they could probably arrest him for several things. Quietly she instructed Shack to tag the guy and obliviate him to be watched. This guy had no patrons who would bail him out later.

* * *

"What is your name"

Peter Pettigrew"

"Are you an Animagus"

"yes" "What form" "A rat"

"Do you have a name" "Wormtail"

"When did you become an animagus" "fifth year, with Black and Potter"

"what were their forms" "Black was a Grim, Potter a Stag.

"What about Lupin" "He was a werewolf"

"are you a Death Eater" Yes" "How long" "since seventh year"

"Is Black a Death Eater" "No"

"Have you killed anyone?" "yes" "Who" "Edgar Bones" "How, Why"

"he was my initiation, I crucioed and cut him up then I AK'd him."

"name every Death Eater you can"

"Crouch Jr." he's dead" "No he's not, I saw him yesterday"

"Where" "With the Master" "The Master is"

"Lord Voldemort" "Voldemort is Dead"

"No he's not. just mostly"

"mostly dead" "He's a baby thing."

"Where"

"I don't know, he calls me and I go there. I don't know"

Name every Death Eater you can name."

"Carrows , Bellatrix, Malfoy, Snape, Nott, Goyle Crabbe, Rookwood,

Jugs.....aaaaahhahahhhaAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Pettigrew screamed until he had no air, he screamed until his voice could not be heard any more. His eyes and ears bled, he bit his tongue out in his convulsions.

Postmortem examination showed that his brain was burned out, painfully.

* * *

* * *

The Smart Girls convened for a discussion. This time Daphne Greengrass was there also.

"So what's going on with Harry?"

"He's in pain most of the time, the Headmaster said he had to participate in the Tournament, that he was bound by the magical contract."

The pureblood girls scoffed. They knew what a magical contract entailed.

"Harry has to learn more of our world, it seems as if he's being kept in the dark." Daphne spoke. She didn't speak often, but when she did, people listened. She was almost as smart as Hermione, and ambitious as well.

this is why she was in Slytherin. Hermione's mind was going at double speed. she had an idea.

"Could you teach us about these kind of things, the magical world, customs, the rules we don't know, that kind of thing? I'm sure we can come up with something equivalent in trade.." Daphne considered the Gryffindor girl. "Who is we?, if that Weasley idiot is included, no way."

Hermione's face burned in anger. "yes he is an idiot, but Dumbledore is forcing us into a friendship with him, and we are maintaining it as cover. I can feel the IQ points leaking out whenever I am around him." she rolled her eyes.

We would never willingly expose anyone to the Weasels presence.. I meant we, Myself and Harry. Padma and Luna too, if they want."

The black haired Slytherin girl considered. "I will, we need to arrange a location and security. We cannot be seen together, for my safety, you understand" "Certainly. speaking of security, how well is your room warded, do you share, or do you have separate rooms?"

"I share with Tracey Davis, she can be trusted, I think, I have lived with her for four years so far, and she hasn't slit my throat yet."

the other girls cringed.

"Well, we can show you a warding scheme that Harry designed that gives layers of security..."

* * *

Harry slipped through the halls of the school and found the entrance to the Hufflepuff quarters. He pondered how to get in, when he saw Susan Bones coming up the corridor with Hannah Abbot. "Good afternoon Ladies, how are you this fine day?" Hannah Answered."We're pretty good, Harry, how are you, I don't see how you can be so chipper, considering all the crap thrown your way recently." Susan spoke up. "Me either, I was talking to Auntie and it shocked me how many 'adventures' you have had in the last three years.." "You don't know the half of it, Susan, I could write a book. I 'sound chipper' he finger quoted at these words, "Because if I spent any time thinking about things, I would freak out. so, please leave me in my delusional world." he grinned at the statement, both girls blushed at his dimples and flashing green eyes.

"I have a favor to ask of you, please?" The girls nodded. "I need to see Cedric, it's very important." "come on in, Harry, We don't mind."

Hannah opened the door to the Hufflepuff common room and led Susan and Harry in.

* * *

"Gryff in the house" Hannah called out with a laugh. Various people looked up and some waved, some scowled. Some thought he was honest in his assertion that he had not entered the TWT, some thought he was stealing Cedric's thunder. Hannah went up and called Cedric down from the dorms. Susan stayed and talked with Harry. "A few People still think you cheated to get into the Tournament, but most of us do not.. you have never been cruel or rude to us Hufflepuffs, and we appreciate it."

Hannah and Cedric came into the common and Cedric greeted Harry with a handshake. "I don't know what happened, but Hello, fellow champion." Harry looked a bit sheepish. "Thank you Cedric, I consider you to be the real champion for Hogwarts, and I support you 100 percent.. if I could figure out how I was entered into this thing, I would pull out and disappear for a year or so.. I don't want anything to do with this, as it's probably another attempt to kill me." "Another attempt?" Susan was shocked. "Yes, remember, I said, I could write a book.?" "Oh." Harry turned to Cedric.

"Did we meet at the top of Stouts hill before the World Cup?"

Cedric looked oddly and answered. "No, I saw all the Weasleys, but you weren't there.. I do recall them saying something about having invited you.." Why?" Harry whispered. "Someone planted memories that I went to the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys, and traveled by portkey with them.. and you and your father."

Cedric looked shocked. ""No, as far as I recall, no, you weren't there."

"Ok, good enough, what I came here for is the first task is dragons.. there is something to do with dragons, so study up and be careful."

he held out his hand. "Good luck" Cedric took his hand. "You too, Good Luck."

"I am not looking to win, or even make points, all I want to do is survive this." he grinned at the older boy. "See ya" "Ok, Harry, thanks."

"thank you, ladies for letting me in, bye"they waved as Harry went out the door.

Cedric stood there a long time looking at the closed door.

* * *

That's chapter 3.

Disclaimer.

I own very little of this story, I do not own the HP characters, I am just playing with them. They belong to the corporate entity known as JKR.

I suspect that book 6 and 7 were written by committee.

TimW

edit 2-16-10


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Power(They Do Not Use)

_Previously:_

_"Ok, good enough, what I came here for is the first task is dragons.. there is something to do with dragons, so study up and be careful."_

_he held out his hand. "Good luck" Cedric took his hand. "You too, Good Luck." "I am not looking to win, or even make points, all I want to do is survive this." he grinned at the older boy. "See ya" "Ok, Harry, thanks."_

_"thank you, ladies for letting me in, bye"they waved as Harry went out the door._

_Cedric stood there a long time looking at the closed door._

* * *

Chapter 4

Harry's name had come out of the Goblet, and Dumbledore has insisted that Harry participate.

He has insisted so strenuously that he used obliviation and a compulsion charm to do this. At this point Harry has some resistance against the obliviate, enough to retain his memories, and certainly enough to overcome the compulsion.

His outburst at the drawing of names has him making an oath that he is innocent. He calls for help from Sirius, who comes running.. right into the arms of the Aurors, who want to arrest him, Fudge wants to have him kissed on the spot. Andy Tonks advises that he is not bound by the magical contract, to use this to his advantage. Harry and co. help Sirius escape, with the help of Hermione's parents..who get a new family pet, a big black dog named Padfoot.

Andy Tonks sets Harry and Hermione up with an occlumency tutor.

who will be visiting them shortly.

The next few weeks after the drawing of names is intense. Harry and Hermione have gotten mirrors so they can communicate at will.

Their friends notice that they are quiet and keeping to themselves. Ron is jealous, he assumes that Harry entered the TWT, no matter the protestations of the former. Harry just gives up and walks away, he has better things to do.

The couple go over the things normally learned in the 4th year curriculum, passing through it fairly effortlessly. Harry has a pass to not take classes so he can prepare for the events, so he takes full advantage of this, further dividing him from Ron, who is the definition of slacker.

Hermione, of course has read ahead on most of the 4th and 5th year curriculum, and they go through as much of it as possible, but has to continue to take classes. Harry encourages her to maintain her public persona, to keep separate from him after some of the more aggressive students attack the couple, leaving Hermione's teeth growing as the same curse was used that Draco had been arrested for.

The three weeks between the drawing and the impending task are flying by. Harry is angry that Sirius has not been declared innocent yet. He writes to Amelia Bones, expecting some kind of response. She is up against a brick wall called the Wizengamot, who refuse to declare Black innocent. Harry uses his mind for once, calls Andy Tonks, who calls Rita Skeeter. They promise that he will talk to her after the first task, because Harry had decided to participate after all, as he had a plan.

* * *

Harry had snuck out using his invisibility cloak, and followed Hagrid into the forest. Hagrid was meeting Madam Maxime from Beauxbatons and they were looking at the dragons.

The first task was coming up and now Harry had a clue as to what he had to face.. as to HOW he was to face it was a completely different story.

Harry stood just outside the edge of the dragon handlers encampment looking at the great beasts, watching and listening.. their sounds, their voices, yes, voices. It was understandable to him, like listening to someone who spoke English as a second language.. sometimes the words were out of context or mispronounced, but still pretty much understandable.

The dragons were chained down like big dogs in the back garden. he approached the smallest who was grumbling about the food..

//so bad//

//not even the //

//breath will burn//

//the bad taste //

//out of it//

The dragon, a Chinese Red was burning some kind of beast and pawing at it.

//hello?//

//humph//

//who are you//

//are you here to bring me something//

//to eat?//

//I do not have anything for you.//  
//what would you like?//

the dragon breathed another fireball

//you will do nicely//

//a bit scrawny//

//bring me the big one over there//

Harry looked over where the dragon was looking and saw Hagrid

with Madam Maxime.

//sorry, can't do that, he's my friend//

//are you saying you eat people?//

//whenever I can get one//

//I am bored with cattle and sheep//

//get fur in my teeth//

//I will see what I can do//

Harry had a fleeting thought of sending Malfoy on a ferret hunt.

but thought better of it, because the authorities would kill the dragon.

// I will speak with you later//

//bring me something good to eat//

Harry shook his head as he crept around the perimeter of the compound

he came close to the Welsh Green who appeared to be asleep.

//hello//

the dragon snored

Harry watched for a bit and called out twice more, receiving no response, he went on to where the Swedish Short Snout was pacing back and forth.

//hello?//

The dragon stopped short, on alert

//who's there?//

//I don't see you, but I smell you//

//I'm right here in front of you, I'm//

//invisible//

//I have to stay invisible//

//or they will chase me away//

the dragon was silent for a moment

//I see//

// are you here to torment me?//

//no, I am not//

//I just wanted to see//

//if I could talk to you//

//well you are talking//

//so talk//

Harry was stunned for a moment and then he began to talk

he went on for quite a time, telling about how he ended up in this stupid Tournament that he did not want to be in.

after a while he stopped talking.

//well young one//

//what are you going to do//

//about it?//

The Swedish Dragon looked quizzically at Harry

He sat there on the stump thinking, noticed the Hungarian Horntail

had shuffled as close to the Swedish short-snout as her chain would reach.

"You heard my story, what does a Dragon think of my predicament?"

The smaller dragon looked to the larger.

//you have an opinion?//

The huge huge dragon snorted fire

//I do//

//let us hear yours first//

if a dragon could sigh, this one did

//run. run as fast and as far as you can//

//for you cannot beat us//

//we are dragons//

//after all//

The great Horntail was spouting flame as it snorted and screeched.

handlers from the encampment scurried out to see if they could subdue the 'raging beast'

Harry of course heard it for what it was.

..laughing..

After a while the great beast was 'subdued' of course not by the handler's actions but by the creature's own control, not to mention the glaring of one Harry Potter who was standing now outside the perimeter of the compound with everything but his face covered by the cloak.

//are you quite finished?//

Harry was somewhat indignant. the Swedish dragon went to her dinner, some assorted goat and sheep mix. She had a look on her face of disgust, and between bites could be heard to be saying..

//I want to go back//

//to my mountain home//

//where the ice is cold//

//and no sheep do roam//

it was almost like a lament

Harry moved within range of the Horntail, although out of the range of her fiery breath.

//so what do you think//

//I should do?//

The great beast looked at him with what could only be a smirk

//well, since you are stuck in this foolish//

//tournament//

//you should make the best//

//of it//

//put on a show//

//if you're gonna go//

//go big//

Harry, of course took this advice with his usual calm demeanor.

//huh?//

She snorted, a typical female reaction in any species.

//put on a show//

//make it look more //

//dangerous and //

//harder than it is//

//look at tubby there//

she indicated the Swedish dragon next one over

//she's fat and slow//

// no defenses to speak of//

// just sharp teeth and mass//

//if you don't move //

//fast enough//

//she might step on you//

The smaller dragon just glared at the larger, but said nothing

//Red over there//

//has fire//

//but can't fly//

//get up and behind her//

//and you have it made//

there was no comment from the Chinese Fireball

//Greenie here//

he tossed her head to the right

//if you wait//

//long enough//

//she'll//

//take a nap//

the Welsh Green opened an eye and raised a lip, showing the sharp teeth, and then went back to sleep

//I am the only real threat//

//here//

The great black dragon preened at her own fearsome beauty.

Harry heard snorts from the other three beasts who were within hearing range. He took a deep breath and asked a question not expecting an answer.

//so what do I do to get past you?//

the reptilian creature was sharpening her claws by scratching parallel grooves in the bedrock of the enclosure.

//you don't//

//unless I let you//

she looked at her claws as if disinterested in the mere human

//ok, let me rephrase the question//

//what do you want?//

the great head whipped around, the eyes narrowed as if to pierce through the cloaks' layer of invisibility.

//I will give you anything//

// within my power//

// to give you, if you//  
// let me survive this whole//

a smile crept up the face of the Dragon.

//we don't know//

//which of us//

//you will face//

//that's true//

//what can we do?//

//I will see to it//

//what I want is//

//....

Harry listened carefully to the great beast and said he would do his best to make it happen.

That evening, Harry spoke with Andy and Ted Tonks, who were handling the management of the Potter estates and whatever else needed done.

Harry was quite happy with the arrangement, for he knew that the couple could be trusted.. They took down his requirements and said they would get back to him the next day.

It was the next morning a great legal eagle owl came and delivered a package to Harry, it was also the same morning as the First Task.

Harry read the list and memorized the details and stuffed the package away as he got dressed for the event. Hermione came up behind the tent and snuck in and was able to give him a kiss for luck before she was caught by Skeeter and her photographer. Harry pointed to Bozo. "Remember no publishing outside our agreement." Bozo and Rita nodded.

The champions were called to order and the choosing was made. Harry ended up being the fourth to pull a dragon and the small dragon in question had hidden in a seam of the bag, only coming out when his hand entered in to draw. The Dragon handlers back at the encampment were wondering what was going on, as the Horntail had settled down and looked as though she was in meditation, not coming out of it until the drawing was over.

The moment the little dragon was in his hand, he could hear the voice of the great dragon in his mind.

//I told you//

//I would take//

//care of it//

//so you did// he thought back .

//keep the little one//

//with you//

//and you will always//

//be able to speak//

//with me//

//wherever you are//

he looked at the small beast in his hand and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

//that could be useful//

//if nothing else//

//someone to talk to//

The crowd roared as the first contestant came out and did their attempt to steal the egg.

while the other contestants were waiting, Harry was talking to 'his' dragon. he was describing a property that was owned by the Ancient and Noble House of Potter

//from what I can see//

//it's just what you are//

//looking for//

//mountain with pastures below//

//near an ocean//

//or lake//

//here's the image//

he sent a mental image of an island to her, as described in the package The great dragon pondered the image.

//it looks acceptable//

//it's our turn now//

//lets put on a show//

Harry's turn came and he moved into the arena where the Horntail was chained down.

he dodged and hid as she flamed and dove at him.

//hah! I almost got you//

//I'd appreciate it//

//if you weren't too//

//realistic//

//lets fly//

//I know you want to//

Harry summoned his Firebolt

//the chain is holding me//

//change the pictures on//

//the links and set me free//

Harry peered at the chain links holding the creature in place

he did a quiet transfiguration and the runes on one of the links changed, making it weak as cheese

//yeehaaaah//

the great dragon leapt into the air and flapped her wings blowing Harry off his feet . He jumped up and flew away as fast as his broom would take him, but not before grabbing the golden egg. The dragon blew flame over all the eggs , burning them to cinders before she flew off.

//why did you destroy//

//the eggs?//

//they were not real//

//they were conjured//

//out of wood//

Harry dodged around the school bridge and walkway,

the dragon following him. People screamed as they flew by

There was much laughing and shouting mentally as the two zigged and zagged, finally landing on the roof of one of the school towers, both panting for breath.

//that was fun//

//sure was//

//hold still, lets get that//

//chain off your leg//

The dragon held up her foreleg and Harry did a finite on the object, wondering what the handlers had used to make the chain and shackle.

The chain itself transformed into a tree branch and the shackle transformed back into an old boot, falling down the roof and into a courtyard below.

//are you sure you can find the islands?//

//yes, not a problem//

//I will set up with the locals//

//to supply //

//you with some variety//

//very well//

//can you get there without//

//being seen?//

//watch this//

The Horntail leapt off the roof, dislodging several tiles and flapped her wings once, before fading into invisibility. if you could measure the speed, at the same time, she was accelerating to a significant pace above

MACH 1

//so hows that?//

//that was very cool//

//keep in touch//

//yes little friend//

//I have a question//

//what is it// she sounded far away

//you never told me your name//

the dragon laughed in his minds ear

//Shala, I am//

//thank you Shala//

Harry shook his head at the absurdity of it all and flew back to the arena, and landed with the egg, which he handed to Hermione.

Madam Pomfrey attended to him, because he accidentally grazed the creature's tail while they were dodging around the towers.

After a bit, Madam Pomfrey let him go and he and Hermione went forth, and eventually ended up back in the Gryffindor common room, where Ron attempted to apologize for his doubt.

"mate, I..I..I'm sorry I didn't believe you, I ..should have told you about the dragons.."

Harry looked at his 'friend' with an eye, wondering what he should say or do. The small Horntail sat quietly under his collar watching, waiting.

Ron handed Harry and Hermione each an opened butterbeer.

"So, you think a butterbeer and a half-assed apology will make it all better?" he placed the bottle on the table next to him. Harry looked Ron in the eye coldly. The little dragon was nestled there in the neck of his jumper, watching, and by association, so was Shala.

A jumble of images flowed by, but not before Harry recognized Ron pouring some kind of potion into the bottles, and felt his fear of getting caught, glee at getting away with something. "Sit down" there was command in his voice, and Ron could not but obey. He started to question, protest. "Quiet" There was general revelry and people staggering around in the Gryffindor common room, celebrating 'their' victory.. Harry dug in his pouch, rummaging around until he found his wizard grade notice-me- not runes. He set these up on the center of the table, so this table and the people there were virtually invisible to the mass of people.

Harry reached over and took Hermione's butterbeer and placed it on the table in front of her, just out of reach, "Do a diagnostic, what's in the bottle." she did a few spells, and then a few more. Her face grew darker.

"Give me yours." He passed it over, and she did the same battery of spells.

"It appears to be a potion, a mind altering potion of some sort, and there seems to be some compulsion factors."

"so, basically something we don't want to drink." his eyes never left Ron.

"I wouldn't touch it without dragonhide gloves, it might be a contact potion." This brought an idea to Harry's mind, he logged it and went on.

"What was it, who helped you, since you stink at potions." Ron tried to fight the command, but failed. "Mum..sent it to me." "What is it supposed to do?" "it will make you want Ginny and Hermy want me."

This as much as the thought of being dosed made Hermione mad. she hated people mangling her name. "That still doesn't tell us who made the potions, Molly doesn't know about my particular requirements."

Harry's particular requirements were that he had unusual levels of Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears in his blood. Some of the simpler potions would work for him, but some would either not work, or have drastic results.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "So that makes it a conspiracy, which by definition must include someone who is excellent at potions.. a potions master." They looked to each other. "So what do we do with him..kill him?" "Which him?, Him?, or him? Ron was scared, were they talking about him, or who?" "I think it's inevitable that we kill him, but not right now.. Can't be too public. someone will notice."

They were talking about the two obvious participants in the newfound conspiracy, Snape and Dumbledore.

* * *

Harry met with Rita Skeeter the next morning, Andy Tonks was there as well, Before Rita arrived, they filled Andy in on the events of the night before.

"I hope you can trust Ron to not speak of this"

"I think so, Hermione obliviated him."

"What?..no, never mind, I think I really don't want to know.. Harry, as your solicitor, I'm telling you once. '_**Don't get caught'**_ We can bribe our way out of just about anything, up to and including murder, god knows Malfoy has." She looked at the couple. "I'd just rather you two keep your innocence, if you can"

They both tried to look as innocent as possible.

"Now , what are you going to talk about with Rita?"

Harry straightened about this. "Sirius is still a criminal in the Ministry's eyes, and they have Pettigrew in custody. Were you able to get transcripts of the interrogation?"

She reached into her valise and pulled out two things, a written transcript and a memory vial. "These were given to me from an 'anonymous source', and I am going to give them to Rita. I don't think you should use The Prophet anymore.. they are owned by the Ministry, well, not legally, but they are the puppet of the Ministry. I want this story spread as far as we can, every news outlet, every paper here in the UK and the continent, in the colonies as well."

"Let the Prophet carry the story, and let the others as well, and lets see the differences between what we release, and what they publish..that is a story in itself, I think." Hermione added. Harry spoke up.

"There's also a story in that Malfoy threw a curse at me and missed, Madam Maxime had him arrested and thrown in The Bastille, Dumbledore tried to talk her out of it he called it 'just a prank'.. have someone explore that curse and see if it is considered dark or not.. one of his toadies hit Hermione with it the other day."

"What was the curse? "Desaugo" Mrs Tonks looked shocked. "Yes, that should be addressed. Ah.. here she comes."

Rita clattered into the pub where the interview was to take place, followed by Bozo, her photographer.

She bustled about, setting up her dictation quill, and making herself comfortable across from Harry. Hermione sat on the opposite side of Mrs Tonks. who was right next to Harry.

"Well, then, how's our young champion today?" Rita started out . Bozo moved around to get photos but wasn't able to get the photo he wanted, that would entail making people move from their seats. He wanted to get pictures of the young couple together.. he knew that any picture like that would be profitable to him, that's why he stuck with Rita all these years.

Harry started to speak and Hermione whispered into Andomeda's ear. She spoke.

"Stop, Harry say nothing. Rita is breaking our agreement." Harry turned to his solicitor with a question in his eyes. She glanced towards the parchment and quill that was scratching away. It was upside down to him, but he could read what it was writing. His hand struck like a cobra, snatching the quill and handing it off to the right, where Hermione took it into custody. His other hand was just as fast as the first, his fingers wrapped around the woman's throat. She made not a sound as he lifted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. The deadly glare of his eyes made her quiver. Bozo whipped out his wand, but dropped it to his side when he felt a wand poking him in the throat.

Andy's daughter Dora Tonks had a day off from Auror training and was working as a bodyguard for the party. She appreciated the extra Galleons for the task, and she got to see her young friend Harry. She had embarrassed him mildly when she told stories of holding him as a baby, and had pictures to prove it. She motioned for the photographer to set his wand down and step over to the wall, where she bound him.

Meanwhile, Rita was not breathing and holding very very still, mesmerized by those eyes. In the years as a 'journalist' she had met many people, many powerful and scarey people. she had never met anyone like this. He spoke quietly

Rita, I thought we had an agreement, truth and honesty, and here you are using your 'enhanced ' quill. what we have her for you today is at minimum two stories that will go worldwide, and here you are using your gossip-monger's quill." Now, if you are going to be this way and try to make up lies about me, I will make sure you never write anything again, ever., I will squash you like a bug, do you understand me."

On the word 'squash' he slapped his free hand hard, on the table top. She twitched and possibly wet herself. Hermione had done a finite on the disguised acid green quill , revealing it's true nature, handed it over to Harry. He let Rita down, she fell back into her seat, gasping for air. She was about too say something, when Harry held out his palm, with the quill in it. She was about to reach for it when his hand flared and the thing burned up in an instant.

Harry held out his hand one more time and Hermione put another quill in it. "Here, use mine."

This was a quill he had inscribed with the Runes of Truth, forcing the writer to to record their notes truthfully. Harry had discovered this sequence and experimented with it for the previous month, it was quite amusing to put it on someone and watch as they couldn't lie even if they wanted to, They had used it on Ron the night before, and when they were done questioning him, they obliviated him. It wasn't as good as veritaserum, but it was close. He had simplified it down to a sticker that he placed on a person's forehead, and while it was there, they had to speak the truth.

Andy Tonks spoke. "Do we need to take more drastic measures, Rita, We will if we have to.. and you will not like the consequences." They had talked about this scenario before, and the steps they could take to make sure things went their way.

Harry was for the permanent marking of a person, particularly someone like Rita. if they did that, the fallout could be far reaching. No one wanted to hear the truth, they wanted entertainment, they wanted bread and Circuses, throwing the gladiators to the lions..

"Lets start again, shall we?, by the way, I want those pictures of myself and Hermione, AND the negatives in my hands by this time tomorrow, are we clear on that Bozo?" Rita?" both nodded in agreement, as Harry was projecting magic in his voice, the command voice.

"Now, Rita, your question was, I believe, 'how am I today?' Well, I am quite good, I think, I did well in the task, in a tournament I am not supposed to be in, where someone entered me illegally, I succeeded in my goal, which was to survive, I really don't care about the Tournament, survival is and always will be my first goal." I find that the failure of the chain holding the dragon down was questionable, I don't fault the handlers, they are good and honest people, I think someone is trying to kill me yet again, as the chain and shackle reverted to their base form while in the middle of the task. I think that this is an interesting coincidence, don't you?" "I was lucky, just plain dumb luck, I flew better than the dragon, and she just lost interest, I guess, Maybe she saw something tastier to eat elsewhere.." Harry projected the thoughts to Shala who was by this time making a nest on the crags of an island off the coast of Scotland.

//so have you found //

//anything tastier to eat//

//at your new home?//

The great dragon snorted

//yes I have, Hairy one//

//shall I share?//

she projected an image of a Sea Lion she had snatched out of the water

//no thanks, later maybe//

the dragon laughed.

The interview went on for a while. The Second story they proposed to Rita was that Sirius still had not been given a chance at a trial, even though they had Pettigrew in custody for a significant time, and she was also given the written transcript and the memories of the interrogation and was reminded of the fact that Pettigrew was still in custody, bound with an anti-magic collar, cuffs and shackles on his feet. he couldn't move with any speed, He couldn't change, he was truly captured.

"As far as we can tell, there are some members of the Wizengamot who are actively working against us, here is a list, not complete, but fairly so.

I think you will find it interesting that one of the higher up people here is Fudges' Undersecretary Umbridge. She has brought up more legislation than anyone in the last 100 years taking away rights from various tribes, people and groups. If she goes on like this, soon no one at all will have any freedom. "

The third story they planted was about Malfoy. Harry recounted the incident where the younger Malfoy had accosted him in a public place with an insult, which by the way was against the heir-apparent of the Black Family, of which the Malfoy clan was in fealty to He told his replay and the curse which hit an innocent Beauxbatons student, and the fallout which was the younger Malfoys current residence in The Bastille for an attack against a French national. The quote of Harry's was soon spread nationally and soon after that, internationally. The younger Malfoy got some fan letters for his bravery at 'coming out'. The Senior Malfoy was furious, raging that his son was illegally held and demanded that the Ministry do something about it. When asked why he didn't just go to France and get his son released, there was no answer. The French Ministry however, was glad to tell the reason, that anyone named Malfoy was to be immediately arrested and tried for Treason if they entered French territory.

Harry decided that he really liked French people when he heard that.

* * *

Harry had sent a message to Madam Maxime with a request to meet with the young lady who had taken the brunt of Malfoys attack. His wish was granted and soon he was able to meet Genevieve Dubois, a young blond woman who was apparently quite adept in the Runic arts.

Hermione went with Harry when he went to meet the young woman.

Madam Maxime welcomed them at the entrance to the great carriage that the Beauxbatons students had arrived in.

"Welcome, Mr Potter, Thank you for coming." ( he had said in his request, he wanted to apologize for the behavior of the Hogwarts students)

They were escorted to a parlor where a formal tea was set.

"Thank you Madam Maxime, I truly appreciate you giving me the opportunity to meet Miss Dubois, I want her to have a better opinion of my country than she has been shown."

The door to the parlor opened and Miss Dubois entered with Fleur Delacouer with her.

Harry stood and bowed to the young women.

"Ladies, Miss Dubois, I would like to humbly apologize to you for the rude treatment you have received in our country, I would like to assure you that not all citizens of Britain and the UK are as crude and vulgar as you have been exposed to thus far." Hermione was there, partially as a translator, if she was needed, but also as moral support. She looked to the young woman, to discern if she understood Harry's words, and was about to translate, when the French Champion, Fleur Delacouer stepped in. "I would hope so, My Genevieve was 'orribly embarrassed and treated rudely at the 'ands of your classmates."

Miss Dubois looked sad and bowed her head. Harry continued. "When something like this happens, I an horribly embarrassed also, it makes my country look like fools and bigots, the unfortunate truth is, my countrymen are on the whole, fools and bigots."

"I, however, Miss Dubois am embarrassed that the Headmaster of my school, the leaders of my government, the people who should be in charge and responsible.. not one has shown any remorse for that fool's actions, and not one has seen fit to apologize to you." He got on his knee in front of the girl and took her hand. "As Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, I apologize to you Miss Dubois, and anything within my power to give or do for you, I willingly do so. All you have to do is ask."

Miss Dubois was shocked, Madam Maxime was shocked , Fleur Delacouer was shocked. Hermione was not shocked, She and Harry had talked about it, and decided that someone had to do something. The girl was an innocent bystander, and her life was endangered by a fool.

Technically, Harry didn't have to do anything, as he was the target of the curse, not the sender, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Harry stood and bowed to the girl and sat down next to Hermione.

"Mr Potter, that is an extremely generous thing for you to do, when the perpetrator of the crime is currently residing in Ze Bastille.."

"For that, I am glad, Madam, the ferret deserves nothing less."

"What iz zis Ferret?" Fleur asked. Harry grinned. "Malfoy was assaulting some students the first day of this term and one of the Professors turned him into a ferret, if you have a pensive, I can show you."

Maxime gestured, as she wanted to see a Malfoy humiliated. Harry pulled out a memory and placed it into the bowl. The ladies all watched the memory and laughed at he idiots behavior. "It seems that a lot of your people need to be taken down a bit, not all mind you, but some."

Hermione spoke up. "Madam Maxime, how is the pureblood vs Mundane conflict dealt with in France?" "My dear girl, there is no conflict, The Purebloods realize that if they breed together, they will be weak and die early, there are few who care about such things. I myself could not be Headmistress if I were here in England, No?"

Both of the British students frowned at this. "No, probably not. In fact, I would advise that you inform your government about the rising tide of bigotry here in this country, it will likely spill over."

"I would speak to you again Mr Potter, but we are here about Miss Dubois." "Thank You Madam Maxime, it is easy to get sidetracked when dealing with governments. Miss Dubois, do you have any needs or desires that I can help accommodate?"

She looked shy, as Harry was projecting a bit. Hermione pulled him back and whispered. "have some pity on the poor girl, you do that, it's like Veela allure to a guy" "Oops, I'm sorry, miss, I didn't mean to do that." he directed this towards the French Witches. Fleur whispered to her friend, "go ahead, ask, you never know" She smiled at Harry and put out a little bit of her own Allure, just for balance. She frowned when he didn't react at all, but smiled politely.

"Um, I..I am looking to apprentice with a Runes Master.. Monsieur Shepherd.. but it is expensive to live, and.. well.. "

"Do you by any chance mean Charles Shepherd , who lives and works in San Francisco, USA?" The girl nodded. "I have read of him, I have considered going for an apprenticeship with him myself, aren't Runes fun?" he grinned at the girl. She nodded and her face lit up when she realized that he was as interested in the art as much as she was. Maxime smiled, she saw that her student was going to be taken care of. Harry pulled his notebook out of his pouch, and flipped through it "Here we are, San Francisco, California, USA. " he read through the notes.

Ok, I own a house there, it is within apparition distance of Master Shepherds' workshop, and it is maintained by two elves, free elves, good. Ok, That town's cost of living is pretty steep, from what I read here, You can have the use of the house for seven years, and an allowance of say, 500 galleons a month. There will be no living expenses, since that is all taken care of by the House, all you need is an invitation by Master Shepherd, I guess."

Genevieve Dubois was speechless, her jaw had dropped, She leapt up and hugged Harry, kissing his cheeks, she hugged Hermione and kissed her cheeks as well. She and Fleur danced around, hugging, as her dream had just come true.

Maxime watched as this was going on. a warm feeling sat in her belly.

Dumbledore claimed to be the leader of the light, but Harry _showed_ that he was. .

* * *

Harry called Ted Tonks and made the arrangements for the girl to be given the keys to the house, introduction to the elves and a tour of the area by trustworthy people, He had the appropriate paperwork written up and arrangements made with the Goblins. The Magical banks in America were pretty evenly divided, between the Goblins and the Gnomes. They had competition and had to work to earn your business, it made for better business all around. The UK was the last place in the world where the Goblins had complete control of the banking system.

After all the arrangements were made, Harry got everyone's attention once more.

"There is no claim or cost to you, but once you have achieved your Runes Master status, please consider giving me first chance at whatever you design, I won't hold you to it, but I think we could have a profitable relationship." "In fact, once you reach that point, I hope to be in control of all my family properties and corporations, Consider working for me, us"

He was holding Hermione's hand at this point. He turned to Fleur. "Miss Delacouer, what field are you intending to go into, may I ask?"

Fleur was stunned for a millisecond, but recovered nicely. "Finance, Management of money and assets. I intend to work for Gringotts for a time, then, who knows. My Father is high in the French Ministry, maybe I can work for the Department of the Economy, either Magical or Mundane."

"Very good, I assume you have a Mundane education as well as Magical?"

Fleur nodded. Good, just like Hermione's plan, very smart. If you would consider my offer as well, I will be needing help at managing several exceedingly large businesses, and I will need intelligent people I can trust.. somehow, I know I can trust you two." Both French witches felt warmed by this pronouncement.

* * *

Madam Maxime excused herself once the paperwork was underway, leaving the young women to entertain Harry and Hermione. They talked for a long time about Runes and Magic and assorted other things. Harry told several stories about the things he had to do to be able to do magic while at Privit Drive, He had several examples with him, and showed them to the French witches. Hermione and Fleur sat back and quietly talked while Harry and Genevieve talked Runes. He put out some of the ideas he was working on, and she suggested answers , and vice-versa, she was very interested in the Mirror he had used to call Ted Tonks and they created two more, one for 'Genn' and one for Fleur. That day Harry and Hermione gained two new friends.

They made an appointment for the next day, once they had permission, Genn was going to show Harry the massive Runes cluster which made the flying coach possible. "Dress Muggle, we will be crawling through the belly of this beast." Hermione was invited as well, and weather or not she wanted to, she planned on going through with this, as she wasn't going to have Harry crawling along in tight spaces, with his face right up against any girl's behind but hers. Who knows, she might learn something.

The next day, the two students showed up at the great carriage and were greeted by Genn, who hugged and kissed them both. She was still on a high from her newfound patron. They were all dressed in jeans and jumpers, Hermione's hair was braided tightly and had a scarf tied around it, as was Genn's "Come on.." she merrily led the couple through the belly of the great carriage, through a kitchen, which smelled divine.. "Er, Genn, when we get back, can I look at the kitchen?" she nodded once Hermione explained that Harry did like to cook.

They went through an assortment of spinning cylinders completely covered with Runes, Hermione used a strobe spell and Harry took a series of pictures, and was satisfied that he had a complete series covering the entire cylinder. They came upon a door that was locked and Genn couldn't get it open, Harry dug in his pouch and pulled out his 'key' and showed her how to use it. The door opened. They all entered, 'From here we have to crawl, it is very tight.. low overhead. "

she patted the top of her head and bent to crawl into the hidden space.

Hermione held Harry back and entered next, and he followed up behind. It was somewhat dark so no-one saw the grin on his face as he came up behind.

They lay on their backs inside the outer skin of the carriage, looking up at the structure. It was massive enough so that it could support the weight of the vehicle in neutral buoyancy, and still withstand the flight loads. Harry wondered out loud what it was like to fly in the craft.

"There are many stabilization charms and it is smooth as a baby's skin..did I get that right?" she still had a french accent, but her words were very clear.

"Exactly right. Idiom is hard to catch when it is not your language." Hermione spoke. "I have a second cousin from America, He claims to speak three languages," she used an exaggerated accent to say it. "He says he speaks Murrican, English and a bit of Canadian" My Da laughs his butt off at this joke, every time." She rolled her eyes. Harry and Genn laughed at this, since Hermione's normal accent was proper upper class British, very proper, thank you, and her using an Americanism was so ..strange. Genn was laughing so hard she had tears coming out. "What's worse is my Da doing his Oz thing.. he puts on an awful accent like that Crocodile guy". More eye rolling. Genn was smiling, but she had a tinge of sadness on her face. Harry seeing this asked. "Genn, are you all right?,

"It is nothing, I , well, I just miss my papa.. He was taken from my mother and I four years ago.." the girl was crying as she sat, leaning against a support strut. Hermione moved over and hugged the older girl, Harry took her hand. "I understand, Genn, I understand. I barely remember my parents, but sometimes a sound, a smell, a sight, triggers an emotion, a feeling of loss in me.." he looked sadly at the girl, who had her eyes closed. Hermione gestured him in closer, and the two Gryffindors hugged the girl tightly.

"Thank you.." she sniffed. "You both have done so much for me, I can never repay you." "We're your friends, it isn't about payment.. Here's a true thing that I read from a great sage whom I will be visiting as soon as I can get to his part of the world..

"_Shared Pain is decreased, Shared Joy is increased." _

"We share your pain and loss. We are blessed to share your joy." Genn sniffed and quickly hugged both of the teens, "What is the name of this wise man, and where does he reside?"

"Mike Callahan, Long Island New York. He runs a pub called oddly enough, Callahan's."

"Well, we shall visit there sometime, the three of us." "It's a date, Genn, we will."

* * *

Genn and Fleur joined the Smart Girls Table and added much to the discussion, Daphne had instituted classes in how to deal with the pureblood etiquette, manners and the like. Harry picked up much along the way. The Yule ball was announced, and much discussion was bandied about the table. Harry was invited into he discussion, because he was a champion as well, and found he had to participate, and dance in front of the whole school. He immediately thought of asking Hermione to go with him, but they thought again, and decided that they should not go together, for her protection.. Harry asked Genn to go with him and she agreed. They had made some contact with Viktor Krum, who had been hanging around the library, watching Hermione as she studied.

He liked her because she wasn't impressed with his world renown quidditch skills, she related to him as a person. He asked her and Harry for a favor. He knew they were a secret couple, and knew why they were not going to the ball together, He asked her to the ball after a bit of explanation.

* * *

"Have you solved the mystery of the egg yet?"

"No, I haven't really looked at yet, I know it screams when you open it in the air, I was going to try it underwater this weekend." He knew this was the correct path, because the runes inscribed inside had water runes in abundance, so it seemed likely. "You are on the right track, The egg says that they will take away that which is precious to you, and you have an hour to retrieve it." Viktor looked uncomfortable. He had asked for an oath of secrecy. "What is precious to me, would destroy my reputation, and I cannot afford the risk." He looked at he couple. Kakaroff told me they will base the task on who you take to the Ball, so if you took Hermionny

they would take her as your hostage..understand?" Harry was drawing a blank. Hermione understood and took Viktor's hand. "Who is it, Sergei or Ivan?" Viktor blushed. "Sergei, he is my trainer, he keeps me healthy, but he is also my lover. If I were to be shown out, I would lose my contract with the team, I would be .. what is the word.. ost..est.." Ostracized" the girl volunteered. " Yes, that is it, Ostracized." You understand my problems. No?"

"Of course we do, Viktor, what can we do to help? Harry was holding his girlfriends hand, and he didn't know for sure where they were going, but trusted her to lead the way.

By this time, all the girls at the Smart Girls Corner had mirrors to communicate, and Hermione sent out a general call. "Meet at the table 6pm tonight, important Yule Ball arrangements" she left that voice mail for the entire group. Viktor, bring Sergei and meet Harry and I in the library at 6 pm, ok?" The Bulgarian athlete nodded and agreed.

* * *

"Thank you all for coming, we need to make arrangements for the Yule Ball, and getting dates with decent guys, gentlemen is the order of the day."

For reasons I will not go into, I cannot go with Harry as I would like,, so he will be available, as well as Viktor, His Trainer Sergei, Cho, I assume you and Cedric are going?" the oriental girl nodded, a smile on her face. "I understand that Roger is available, he asked me to put his name into the hat" Cho put forth. Fleur, do you have any preferences.?"

"Oh, yes, I do, but he is not a student here, so I must decline him at this time." "Who is he, anyway? they could see a look on the French woman's face. "He is the older brother of one of the Dragon Trainers, Englishman, but smart, and polite." they all wondered, about who could stand up to her allure as a part Veela. "Well, kudos to him, I guess. By the way, Daphne is offering brush up lessons to anyone who wants dancing instruction, so take the opportunity with your dates."

"So, first ladies, We offer up Harry, the fourth champion, the reluctant hero." Harry growled at this description, even if it was given by his girlfriend. Several of the girls bid, until it came down to Padma Patil and Genevieve Dubois. there was a standoff and Padma spoke first. "I can see Harry anytime as I am here at Hogwarts with him, Genn, you go with him." The French girl blushed and smiled, giving a little curtsy to the Indian girl. "Thank you mon ami" Genn danced up and hugged onto Harry like a teddy bear. "Save me a dance Harry" Padma called out. He grinned back. "Now then, we know that the participants from the Yule ball will be taken as hostages for the second task, so, as Viktor's date, you must consider that, if you do or do not wish to participate." Few of the women bid for the place, and Hermione won. Viktor bowed to her, kissing her hand, "Thank you Miss Herminny, You will not regret this."

Sergei was the next on the block, a short, but handsome man, polite and impeccably dressed, he gave a quick synopsis of who and where he was, what his interest were. When he spoke of his fascination with rare and unusual creatures, Luna spoke up. "Dibs" The other girls were understanding of this relationship, as they had accepted Luna's peculiarities, so no one bid any further for Sergei.

"Does anyone have any suggestions for Fleur, since there are so few men who can stand up to her particular Allure.?" None of the girls had any ideas, because Harry was the only one who had a chance in that area, so it came down to picking the least affected. Roger Davies was chosen and he seemed pretty cool with the idea. The group broke up after making arrangements and making sure everyone was aware of the colors of dresses involved.

The group had broken up and were all going their own way, when Fleur and her friends were accosted by Ron. "willyougototheballwithme?"

Fleur was taken aback, she had had a variety of males invite her to the ball, all for less than pure reasons, but not one had acted as idiotic as this one. She stopped dead in the middle of the Great Hall where he had basically blocked the aisle with his presence. She looked him up and down.. She suspected that this was a relative of... no, it couldn't be, could it?

"What is your name, little boy?"

"ahh, errr.."

"don't you know your name?

"err Roonil, Roonil Wazlib.."

She took a step. A very sensual step, one pace forward, her allure projecting, and affecting every male within fifty feet. Another step, circling around the frozen Roonil Wazlib. "Tell you what, Leetle Boy, when you learn your own name, when you learn to dress properly, learn some manners, some hygiene and possibly educate yourself, MAYbe, just Maybe, I will stoop to speak with you, but you, leetle boy, have a long long way to go."

Ron, not hearing any of this, just stood and drooled on himself.

* * *

Then she turned and walked away, leading a retinue of the loveliest women in all of Hogwarts. Women from every house, every level of society, and every one, superior to Roonil Wazlib in every way.

No one but Genevieve heard her mutter to herself "disgusting little horn dog"

* * *

Next: the Yule Ball and the Second Task.

A/N

some might question the idea of a 14 year old boy lifting a grown woman by her neck. (the interview with Rita) try this: stick your thumb and forefinger under your jaw, on either side of your trachea. Push up.

You might find yourself lifting out of your seat quite easily.

Edit 2-16-10


	5. Chapter 5

The Power(They Do Not Use)

Chapter 5

_previously:_

_The group had broken up and were all going their own way, when Fleur and her friends were accosted by Ron. "willyougototheballwithme?"_

_Fleur was taken aback, she had had a variety of males invite her to the ball, all for less than pure reasons, but not one had acted as idiotic as this one. She stopped dead in the middle of the Great Hall where he had basically blocked the aisle with his presence. She looked him up and down.. She suspected that this was a relative of... no, it couldn't be, could it?_

_"What is your name, little boy?"_

_"ahh, errr.." _

_"don't you know your name?_

_"err Roonil, Roonil Wazlib.."_

_She took a step. A very sensual step, one pace forward, her allure projecting, and affecting every male within fifty feet. Another step, circling around the frozen Roonil Wazlib. "Tell you what, Leetle Boy, when you learn your own name, when you learn to dress properly, learn some manners, some hygiene and possibly educate yourself, MAYbe, just Maybe, I will stoop to speak with you, but you, leetle boy, have a long long way to go."_

_Ron, not hearing any of this, just stood and drooled on himself._

* * *

_Then she turned and walked away, leading a retinue of the loveliest women in all of Hogwarts. Women from every house, every level of society, and every one, superior to Roonil Wazlib in every way._

_No one but Genevieve heard her mutter to herself "disgusting little horn dog"_

* * *

Ginny Weasley had seen the confrontation between her brother and Fleur. She blushed deeply and her anger stirred.

She went back to the common room and went immediately to the table where her brothers were working hard on whatever project they were stirring up.

Ginny got along with her twin brothers pretty well, as they had found out quickly what would happen to them if hey pissed her off. Waking up in the middle of the night covered in something disgusting will do that to you. The event in question had however, given them ideas for a prank or two.

"Fred, George" she was unerring on who was who, a thing that had always mystified them. "Ronald has done it again" she looked a bit, more than a bit peeved. They both focused on her, surreptitiously closing their open notebooks. They were no fools, when they saw a good thing, they used it, so they had quite a stack of spiral bound notebooks, each labeled with different subjects. This one seemed to be some kind of form.

Fred sighed

"What has"

"Ronnie done now"

Ginny ignored the twinspeak and sat down at their table.

"He has put the Weasley family to shame, in front of the whole school, in front of the other schools...he asked Fleur Delacouer out to the Yule ball like some kind of idiot, just blurted it out." she shook her head. "He's my brother and I love him, but I hate it when he does things like this..  
He made Luna so mad that once, she won't come around when he is nearby.."

Both brothers nodded. They liked Luna, she had a different perspective on things. Their father Xeno had given them some business advice as well, was making arrangements with them to print up their magically enhanced catalogs.

"So what do you want to do, Ginny-kins?"

she glared at the name. "Me?, what do you mean Me?, he's your brother too!"

"But we trust your reprisals to be much more satisfying."

she had a warm feeling at their implied trust in her.

their discussion went on for a while.

* * *

Ginny had finished with her brothers and was sitting at another table working on her potions essay, her books spread out, looking somewhat reminiscent of Hermione the previous year. The girl was no dummy, her limitations were those put on her by a lack of education. She had been home schooled up to this point, for the most part by her mum. There was a time back when she was six or seven, she had taken some time with Luna and her mum, but then when they were nine, Luna's mum had been killed by what appeared to be an accident. Ginny didn't see Luna again for almost a year and when she did, the girl had changed.. she was more dreamy, unfocussed, well that's what it appeared to be. Ginny had come to appreciate her blond friend, both as her friend and as someone who could see. Luna could see things that others could not. This is not something they talked about but it was there.

* * *

Luna met with Sergei and they talked for hours, she didn't feel any of the overt sexual frenzy she felt with many of the older Hogwarts boys, and some girls. The feeling was disconcerting, and worried her. She often wished for her mummy to talk to about things, she had no older woman she trusted. She considered Molly Weasley, but the last time she was in the older woman's presence, she felt a gray haze like smoke from wet wood in the campfire.

She finally settled on Madam Pomfrey who explained several things she had read about, and had loaned the girl some physiology books explaining the process. When she was finished, she hugged the girl closely. "Luna, I'm so sorry you lost your mother, she was a dear, dear friend, and I will miss her so. Don't be afraid to ask me for help, anytime, dear." Luna nodded. and stepped back, out of the hug. "I do need some help, I really don't know who to turn to.. Mummy gave me these, and she was going to train me in the art.." she fingered her radish earrings, Luna almost never took them out of her ears, and only when she was far, far away from anyone else. this is one of the reasons she liked going on expeditions with her father, The Radish earrings worked with the charms her mother had created, which blocked the mental noise that came with being around crowds of people. Luna had examined the runes and charms to the best of her ability, and just before her first year had created a necklace that helped with the problem. so her wearing those odd accessories had marked her as more odd than normal.. she was just trying to protect herself. She needed to talk to Harry, who had a certain knack for messing about with Runes. along with Hermione's skill in charms.

"I need someone to help train me to protect my mind, to help me learn control of my gifts" she looked down at her butterbeer cork necklace. "My earrings and necklace block most of the noise, but it's beginning to hurt, and I keep seeing visions of ...things. I did it recently with  
Harry when we were flying." "I hate it, knowing what I know, and not being able to do anything about it."

Poppy Pomfrey had seen all manner of things in her fifty plus years of taking care of the students of Hogwarts. This one was new.. not unexpected, but new. "I remember that your mother had some problems with this as well, let me look in my files and find out who she talked to, just stay a while and Dilly will bring you some tea, ok?" Luna nodded and shortly the Infirmary elf brought her the tea service and Luna spent some time talking with her.

Poppy Pomfrey was an old school healer, she tried to see the whole patient, not just a specialty, it was necessary as a school healer. She spent some time during the summers teaching at St Mungoes, on general practice procedures, how to relate to the patient's needs, Most of her students were former Hogwarts students and there was not a single one that she had not treated at least once. She had the respect of her students.

She pulled out her old files, Files that went back decades, and found the one she was looking for. "Here we go, Selene Lovegood, nee Crittenden."

she went through seven years of school treatment, the usual, skinned knees, a potions accident or two, some dueling practice.. hmmm, here it was. 'sent to see Alexander Cromwell for treatment and training'

Cromwell.. Cromwell...before my time, I think..What else?.. ok, the usual female things. Ok, after graduation, she went for her mastery, was apprenticed to..oh my, Alexander Cromwell.." she went through the woman's complete medical history, which was tied back to the files that were currently at St Mungoes, self updating, whenever a new entry was put in place. Poppy dictated a note, with the date and time and what her plans were, relating to Luna Selene Lovegood.. and tied the files from her mother to those of her daughter, so they would be forever associated.

* * *

Ginny was gathering up her books and paperwork , as she was done with her essay, when Neville quietly approached her.

"Hi, Ginny"

The redheaded girl looked up from her work and gave a quick smile."Hello, Neville, how are you?"

"er, I'm fine, umm, nice weather we're having?"

Ginny recognized this. She had seen it before with older girls and a few times herself. She tossed her hair and stood up straight, which made her chest thrust out a bit . "yes, it is," she raised an eyebrow in question. ""Is there something you would like to say, Neville?" Her petite smile almost knocked him for a loop, but inside his mind, he thought, "Gryffindors forward"

"Ginny, I would like to invite you to go to the Yule Ball with me."

he looked as if he were holding his breath.

Ginny blushed and looked around. then she looked Neville straight in the eyes. "Yes, I would like to go to the Yule Ball with you. I would be a fool not to." Neville exhaled with a burst. "I understand if you don't want to, I mean.." Ginny interrupted him. "I do want to go, Neville, I mean, besides the fact that I can't go because it's for 4th years and above, I can go if I'm your date, and to tell the truth, You've always been polite with me, and you're kinda cute too"

She was a little nervous about this act she was putting on, but she was serious.

"Come, sit" she led him to one of the couches. "I want to warn you though, I have three brothers here and they will probably try to warn you off, they are very protective of me.. I will tell them not to hurt you, ok?"

"I am willing to put up with a lot to go to the Ball with a girl as beautiful as you, Ginny, even if it is just as friends." She smiled at this. "Good, in fact, I will tell them I asked you,as a friend, so they don't think you are coming on to me, is that ok?"

Neville pondered this. "Actually, that makes sense..yes, do that, and I promise I will show you a good time." He then got serious. "I have here a paper that my Gran sent me, as the heir apparent to the Head of House Longbottom, I am supposed to give this to the girl I ask as a gift, it is a pureblood tradition, so I don't think your parents will mind."

He handed over the paper, fine parchment, actually, which stated that there was a line of credit with a fine dressmaker in Hogsmeade to supply her with her dress and all needed accessories, the agreement was non-binding and the dress was hers to keep after the Ball. "Neville, this is too much, I can get my own dress..or make it.."

"It is a family tradition, My grandfather did it for my Grandmother, my Father did it for my Mother, who am I to change tradition?"

She was dubious. "I don't want to be seen as taking charity or something, my family might not be well off, but we take care of our own."

"It doesn't matter if you are knutless or have the biggest fortune in the world, I would have still gotten you this, so, please accept it as my gift, Ginny, please?" he held the paper, wrapped her hands around it and asked. She looked deeply into his eyes. Leaned up and kissed him. Thank you Neville, You are a true gentleman."

A shadow loomed over them.

"Something to tell us Ginn?"

"Something going on here?"

"You two go away, I asked Neville to take me to the Yule Ball, you know that I can't go because I'm only a third year, and Neville is a great guy, so you two leave him alone. Got it?"

Fred and George leaned back, out of the range of their little sister, knowing better than to bell the dragon.

"Ok, ok, he just better be well behaved, then."

"I daresay, he will be better behaved than you two.,no bug off!"

she winked at Neville and he blushed. "Right-yo, be seeing you" the twin terrors tromped up the stairs to their dorm room.

"don't mind them, they're pretty much harmless."

* * *

Ginny had shown the papers to Hermione, and Hermione had received one as well, from Viktor. She was stunned as she had never heard of such a thing. Harry was disturbed by this, and the dark haired wizard sought out Daphne and asked her about this matter.

"Yes, it is a tradition, some families do it, some don't, it is considered a perk of being one of the fortunate few. The more money you have, the more likely it is an accepted tradition, for instance, the Weasleys would probably not do it, as they have little or no money, even though they are as pureblood as they come.. they used to be quite wealthy, but they were swindled out of it several hundred years ago. Your family, the Potter is one of the richest families around, as well as one of the oldest, so you would be expected to provide for the needs of your date."

"And why, has no one ever seen the need for teaching me any of this. I know next to nothing about politics, society, finance, any of it."

Harry was quite frustrated. "Your parents and Grandparents would be the ones to teach you, I believe you said your Godfather was ..is, Sirius Black, he should teach you all of this, your Godmother would teach you a lot about society and manners, I suppose you don't know who your godmother is, do you?" He looked sad. Actually, I do, but she's in no condition to do it.. Alice Longbottom." A look of understanding came across Daphne's face. You could contact her mother-in-law, Augusta Longbottom.. Neville's grandmother, and ask for her advice, I suppose."

"No, I will just pull another rabbit out of my hat and see to getting it done, Thank you Daphne, I owe you one. Come on, Hermione, lets go see Fleur." before they went to see Fleur, they called Andromeda Tonks and described what they wanted to do, and she agreed completely, and said as soon as she got off the mirror she would set up an account with the dressmaker.

* * *

"Fleur Delacouer, please." The mirror wavered and came into focus. "Ello 'arree, "ermionee, 'ow are yous today?'

"We are well, Fleur, I am calling because I need advice, and you are the best person I know to give it."

"As you say, what is it yous need to know?"

"It is tradition for the male to give a gift of the dress and accessories to the lady when going to a ball like this, I want to give Genn a gift, and I want to know if the dress shop in Hogsmeade is good enough to supply her needs." Fleur frowned and thought about it. "Do you mean the one by the apothecary, Carpentiers' Fine Clothing?" He nodded, Yes, that's the one. Apparently a person of my social and financial status is required to dress the young lady in style, and who am I to buck tradition." he grinned at her. "Well, I have seen one or two designs there that would look acceptable, as long as the male was dressed accordingly.." she turned an eye toward him. "So you are saying I need to go there as well?, I have some formal robes already..won't they be good enough?"

"They were not tailored for you, so likely no, you should take Genevieve to the shop and have both your measurement taken, and make them understand that your outfits go together.." she looked sideways in the mirror. "Ermione, you know what to do, make 'im do it correctly."

Andy Tonks called and told him that there was already an account at the establishment, an account that went back to the founding of the business, as one of his ancestors made the initial investment in the ancestor of the current owner. Therefore, anyone named Potter got the best and most preferential treatment.

* * *

"Genn"

"Yes, Fleur?"

"You have a visitor in the entry hall"

"Who?" she got up from her room and headed for the carriage's entry hall.

"Harry, Hermione! It is so good to see you"

they hugged and laughed at the older girl hugging the shorter boy. She seemed to enjoy shoving his face into her breasts.. and making him blush. Hermione knew it was innocent as Genn had told her what she was doing.. "I just like to get him stirred up a bit, he is my patron, but he is still a young man, so, I say, why not give him a thrill."

Hermione was cool with this as long as the older girl gave him back, undamaged. Harry had caught on to the game, but didn't let on, he was enjoying the face-to-breast experience. One of these days, however, he was going to vanish her clothes just as she did it, ...

He had extricated himself and stood, formally, pulling out a parchment. Andy Tonks had found the original in the Potter family files, and just changed the names, but this certificate was the same one that had been used by his father, his grandfather, his great... several generations of Potters.

"Miss Dubois, it is a tradition in my family, that when a young man invites a young lady to a formal event, that he must provide her with the means to arrange for her dress and accessories. Thus, I am formally presenting you with this certificate, which is good to be used at Carpentier's Fine Clothing here in Hogsmeade." "They are a well known clothier who has shops in London and Paris, and Rome, so their styles and quality are acceptable. When you have the time to go and be measured, and pick out your choice of dress, I shall go with you, and have the appropriate clothes made for myself, so that we don't clash."

I would like you to pick out the best quality garments, and whatever you need to make your experience complete."

He sighed and sagged a bit. "Did I do that right?" he looked to the three women, since Fleur had joined them by this time.

Hermione patted him on the shoulder, "you did fine, Harry, all you have to do now is go shopping" she smirked. Harry looked a bit panicked at this.

"It will be all right, we'll all go at once, I'll call Cho and Cedric, Viktor will join us.. Fleur, are you ready, or do you need to get something?"

"need a few things, but I am ready, I will come as what you say, Morale support.."

* * *

Two days later, there were all four champions and their dates meeting for a shopping trip, they entered the shop in Hogsmeade and were greeted by the owner, Mr J. Carpentier, who had his staff immediately attend to the ladies. Being intelligent the four ladies involved all wore something know to the muggle world, called a Danskin (tm) This way they could shed their clothes in public and get their measurements fairly accurately. Each set of measurements was taken by a animated rule much like the one that Mr Ollivander used, and when the measuring was done, the shop had four accurate manikins to work with. These were taken out of sight by staff, and then colors and patterns were discussed. The men of the group were taken off to one side and their measurements were taken as well, although their clothes were somewhat easier to fabricate.

Viktor advised Harry. "With the women, just stand back and enjoy, this is their sport, just as we have ours."

Harry saw the wisdom in this.

They were fitted with high quality robes , and advised that the Acromantula silk was the best material, but quite expensive, when asked about this, Harry was told that the risk of gathering the material was the main cost. you had to be able to outrun the spiders, and the silk was hard to acquire. "So if you could get it cheaply, what would the cost be?

"Well, there really is no special handling requirements,, so probably a tenth of the current cost." So who supplies it, who turns it into cloth?"

"Oh we do all the processing right here."

This is something he thought about, along with a statement that Luna had made earlier in the year.

"I would like to see the process that you use to turn it into cloth, I have an idea which might save us all money and turn a nice profit."

While the ladies were all being measured and fitted, the guys tagged along with Harry as he was shown the facilities where Acromantula silk was made into cloth, using charmed weaving looms.

They saw every step of the process, t was much like that of the weaving of silk made by the silkworm, only on a larger scale.

* * *

The group left the clothiers, and ended up at the Three Broomsticks to have a nice lunch together, Luna and Sergei joined them.

The group had an easy camaraderie between them, There was a playful competitiveness amongst them, not the hostile glares that they received from Karkarov, or the intercine warfare that was expected from the houses of Hogwarts. Madam Maxime was pleased to see her students interacting with the other champions and encouraged this behavior.

"I need an idea, people, there has to be a way to capture an acromantula without being eaten by the thing," Harry was pondering.

"Do you want to capture it, or kill it, what is the end result you want?"

Sergei asked. He had visited the colony with Hagrid and was fascinated with the beasts, cautious, but fascinated.

"I want to set up a location to harvest Acromantula silk, safely and cheaply."

"So, alive, then, yah, that would be good, I guess..You will need an island or somewhere that you control access ." "I don't think catching them in a box would be a good idea, how did they get the dragons here?"

"Targeted portkeys, They stunned the dragons so they couldn't get away, chained them and then port' them here, and three back, since you lost yours.." they all laughed. "It's not my fault she was better at escaping than your dragons, I'm proud of her, wherever she is"

//thank you hairy one..//

//you are welcome, Shala//

//how do you feel about giant spiders?"//

//mmm, tasty//

//good to know//

they ate some of their lunch. Harry was distracted because he was thinking about things. He pulled out his ever-present notebook and began sketching out an idea. The page was covered with plain squares and circles, with lined drawn between them. In the middle of the page were several large blank spots. He kept drawing and writing, but began speaking. "Hermione, isn't there some kind of experiment someone did where they got rats or mice to push a lever or something for a food pellet..or was it monkeys.?" He looked up at her and she began to expound. "yes there have been many studies with both reward and aversion methods, and different rewards. As you describe, an experiment with the reward given for a certain behavior, and another experiment in which rats were subjected to many things to distract them from the reward, They were experimenting with addictive substances.."

this statement also set off an idea in Harry's mind. He turned the page, wrote a few notes and returned to the current page.

"How about this, everybody, listen and tell me what you think."

Step 1. We somehow send ALL the spiders in the Forbidden Forest to a

desert island, that they cannot escape from.

Step 2. We set up a system in which THEY bring their silk to us, balled up in a ball, in exchange for a goat or pig or whatever.

Step3. We process or sell the gathered Acromantula silk to the highest bidder, take out the costs of the goats and pigs, and make lots of money."

The group chattered about this and that for a bit, Roger Davies spoke up first. "Where would you get a desert island, isn't that expensive?"

"I suppose so, but I looked through my family holdings, and I own several islands in a chain all ready, so that one is solved, They already have the muggle repelling charms and runes on them, so security and safety are addressed. next problem?"

Cho spoke up. "Giant spiders are well, scarey, I wouldn't want anything to do with them, how would we clear them out and get them to the island?"

Harry leaned back. "Therin lies the problem, I think.. Sergei here gave us the answer to that problem, I think, Portkeys, what we have to figure out is how to get a portkey onto a spider and transport it to it's target destination, I want to go and see the Dragon Handlers and see how they did it." "Me too", Sounds interesting" "Da, I vould like it as well"

everyone in the group was interested. "So, after lunch, shall we visit the dragon encampment and see if there's anyone left?

General assent was reached.

* * *

The champions and stragglers all trooped through the forest until they came upon the encampment, where they found nothing much but the iron stakes that the Dragons had been anchored to. There was a tent with four of the remaining crew from Romania.

"Hello, anyone home?"

The dragon handlers trooped out of the tent and greeted their guests by the fire, which was burning in the front of the tent.

"Hello, whats up, what can we do for you today?"

Charley Weasley stepped to the fore.

"It must be something important, if all four champions are here, is there a problem?"

Harry was the spokesman for the group. "No, not really, mostly intellectual curiosity"

Hermione's blush crept into her face when she heard use of intelligent words.

"We were eating lunch and the thought came up, 'how do you transport the dragons from Romania to here, Sergei, here said you use a portkey sent to a target, is there any way you could show us how that works?"

"Well, actually, yes we can, with a little help from you and your friends.. See the posts?" everyone nodded. "We need to get them out of the ground before they can be shipped back to Romania.. it's too hard to shrink them, because Iron doesn't take magic well, so we will just bundle them up and send them whole. With an extra ten wands, we should be able to get them out easily.. we were thinking the four of us MIGHT be able to do it without help.. if you don't mind?"

The crowd gathered around the first Iron stake and with all fourteen people using the same spell, they lifted it effortlessly from the ground, and laid it on it's side.

They did two more, leaving the fourth in the ground, when Harry asked if he could try something. Everyone wondered what he was up to, he climbed up to the top of the post, which was about six foot up and balanced there. He used his wand to write a few runes , tapped it and jumped backwards off the post. he then cast some magical power toward the rune to power it up. The post creaked and slowly, smoothly slipped up out of the ground, and took to the air. "Uh-oh" he quickly dug into his pouch and unshrinking his broom and took off after the thing, catching up when it was some 300 feet in the air. He got beside it and heaved, turning it sideways, he then raced to the front, where the runes were and erased them, leaving the 2 ton piece of Iron in free fall. With deft use of his wand, he guided it to a hard landing amongst some trees, near the edge of the forest. His friends came running out of the forest to see where he had landed, to see if he was alive or not. The thing had embedded itself in the ground a bit, but with a little levitation from four people, it was trundled back to the pile with the others.

"Whew, that was fun" he grinned like a kid. "It worked better than I thought it would, I forgot to change the lift parameters, and it had the same lift that it needed to be pulled from the ground, while in the air, thus, it escaped." He looked up. "If I hadn't stopped it, it probably would have achieved escape velocity.."

most of the stunned witches and wizards not named Hermione didn't understand what he said.

Another fact was noted in his mind.

"So, that's done, can you show us how you portkey a dragon?"

Everyone gathered around while one of Charley's coworkers showed them a portkey. "This has a sticking charm on it, we banish it toward the dragon, and when it sticks, it activates.. the dragons are sedated first, since you don't want an angry dragon portkeyed into your camp, you want a sleeping, stunned dragon." The portkey is tied to the target stone, which we bury where we want the creature to land, see?" they dug a hole next to where the last post had been pulled out. "just your basic portkey target, many families have these made for their homes, and each member carries their own end of it, with their own activation, some use a word, some use a wand, in any event, you can have as many of these as you want to tie it to a single target." "That's why the Quidditch World Cup had timed portkeys and landing zones, it's easier and safer that way." "No one can land on top of you while you are in the landing zone, their portkey won't allow it, they will just wait in order of arrival until the zone is clear."

Harry had a vision of a stack of spinning spiders fifty tall, waiting to land.

They had excavated the target stone and Harry took pictures of it from all sides, noting the runic phrasing on it. "Is there a weight limit on a portkey, I mean, can a portkey take a person or a dragon equally?"

"Well, if you were to use a dragon sized portkey, you would spin about three times as fast as the normal one, either that or you need to take more than one person, A portkey big enough for a dragon, could probably transport 20 people, as long as they could all grip it, a rope or a tree branch. it all has to do with mass."

"Hmmm, interesting, Is this the one used for a dragon?" he picked up a puck looking object with familiar runes. "Yes, it fell off on completion, it's dead now, can't be used again, that's why we use junk, boots, whatever for portkeys, because they can only be used once, unless they have a special enchantment on them, such as a Head of House ring.."

Harry shoved the dead portkey in his pocket.

Everyone thanked the handlers and the camp was quickly broken down, and the area cleaned up, leaving nothing but four holes in the ground.

Later that night he reviewed what he learned.

One time use.

size equals rotation. have to deal with mass.

infinite use of target, one time license.

portkey won't land on another, like magnets in a stick? he remembered something from science class when he was ten.

sticking charm -banished toward target. Has to be an easier way.

Hmmmm. this was going to be an interesting project.

The group was walking back towards Hogwarts when Harry called them to a stop. "I have an idea, and if it works out, I promise I will share the profits with all of you, you have my word." he glowed briefly as he made his oath.

Luna saw the alternates merging down to a few, rather than many.

She needed to speak of this with the man who was helping her, Mr Cromwell. she split off from the group with a farewell wave and went to her dorm to write a letter.

* * *

On the couch, a few hours later.

"I wish I had a time turner." Harry groaned. "I have so much to do, and not enough time..not to mention brushing up my dancing skills, worrying about the old man and grease ball poisoning me, I have this prophecy hanging over my head.. "

Hermione's heart clenched. "What prophecy?" "Its nothing big, When Luna and I went flying she spoke two prophecies, one of which is I will be the one to clear the spiders out of the forest." he sighed."It is important, the forbidden forest has been a magical creature sanctuary for over a thousand years, but now it is being overrun with spiders, an alien species invasion. I know you understand what I mean." "Yes, like the rabbits in Australia, no natural predators to keep ahead of their breeding.." "Well, these spiders don't belong there, but I think we can make a profit off of them and not have to kill them, I really don't like killing things.. if I could put all of the Death Eaters out of commission without killing them, I would."

Hermione went on a different tangent. "Most prophecies are self fulfilling, you know.. someone makes it and if the recipient believes it, well then, it comes to pass."

"I know that, you know that, but here's the thing, I CAN do it, I have figured out how, I just need to get things in the right order."

He opened his notebook to the page he had been working on. he waved his hand and all the boxed scuttled off to the sides of the page.

"Here is our desired result" he used his finger to move the box labeled

'Spiders on isolated island producing silk in exchange for livestock.'

"here's what we have now" On the left side of the page he moved the box labeled:

'Spiders eating everything in Forbidden forest'

he waved at the parts in between "all we have to do is fill in the blanks"

they talked for a long time moving boxes around, making new more refined boxes, until they were satisfied with what they had.

"This right here is the only weak point in the process, I think, how to get the portkeys on the spiders. they are tricky and fast, I suppose you could do it from a broom, hovering.. oh, that reminds me, I need to look at Luna's broom, it hovers well...anyway, there has to be an easier way, maybe a dart gun or a ..something, I'm not sure.. how hard is it to use a bow and arrow?"

"We could ask the Centaurs, they are experts at it.. maybe we could make portkey arrows and give them to the centaurs to use against the spiders."

"Not a bad idea, do we know any centaurs that will talk to us?"

"we could ask Hagrid, he knows a lot about the forest."

"tomorrow, first we have to figure out how to make the portkeys

en masse."

"Harry... about the island.."

"I have that covered , Hermione, I already have one in use.." she looked at him oddly. "I know you can keep a secret.." he whispered. "come here.." she leaned into his voice.

"I stole a dragon"

She turned on him, shocked, speechless. she was gaping like a fish out of water.. "well, not really stole, I helped her escape, Shala , the Horntail from the first task, I went and spoke to her before the event and we talked.. she said she would let me by her if I did something for her, so I did.."

"Harry James Potter, you give that dragon back right now!"

"I can't, she's an intelligent being, she should not be prisoner if she doesn't want to be.. some of the dragons like the preserve, but she didn't"

He looked at her with a gimlet eye. "Dragons , at least this one is as intelligent as you or I, and deserves her freedom. I think she has eggs now, she is nested on an island I own in the Orkneys."

She looked at him, wondering. "Is this why you have the little dragon with you all the time?"

"yes, she is my contact with Shala, I can talk to Shala any time I need to."

the little dragon crawled out hf his collar and stood on his shoulder. looked Hermione in the eye and hissed at her.

"She just said 'hello human female"

"er, hello..Shala?"

"yes, Shala. She is a very good friend of mine."

the little dragon hissed some more.

Harry looked at it oddly, but didn't translate.

"What did she say?"

"nothing I want to share, right now." he blushed deeply.

"you can tell me anything Harry"

"I'd rather not."

The girl's curiosity was raging, he had an answer that she wanted.

"Harry, tell me what the dragon said." she said this flatly

he looked away from her face, would not meet her eyes.

"Very well. She said you are in heat and I should breed you today if I want young."

he was very red, just as she was very red.

"Oh".

they were quiet for a bit, deliberately ignoring the hippogryph in the outhouse.

"so, an island."

"yes, I was thinking to make a target stone, just like the one in your back garden, put it on the island, and at the shoreline put the distribution center, one ball of silk for one animal, easy peasy."

"could the spiders survive that cold?"

'They have been in the forbidden forest for the last fifty years.. Aragog was originally Hagrid's pet." the girl looked shocked. "he was accused of opening the Chamber fifty years ago, and thrown in Azkaban over it"

"It was Tom Riddle who did it, and he blamed Hagrid for it, Riddle got an award in the trophy case."

The girl shivered at the thought of what had happened.

"Let me think about it, we'll come up with a good idea.. "

the small dragon on Harry's collar smirked as if it were laughing.

* * *

The next day Hermione caught up with Harry after a class, he was in the tower room with his trunk spread out, and his many books in disarray, reading from this one and that one, writing notes and doing the arithmancy that was critical to each note.

He had a large chalkboard obviously taken from a classroom somewhere, and the drawing from his sketchbook was laid out in a similar manner to yesterday's arrangement. Off to the side of each box was a dialogue box filled with notes on both sides. Extensive notes.

"oh, hello, pretty lady, I've been busy." he was writing something, he glanced up at her arrival, but never stopped writing. She was torn between being proud of what a scholar he had become and being mad at him for ignoring her.. the 'pretty lady' comment did, however smooth things over a bit.

He had a second chalkboard set up with a drawing of a device on it.

It was a big box, three times longer than high, There was a cartoon of a spider putting a ball into a hopper, with arrows that flipped a door open and pushed an animal out, represented by an oval with 4 legs and a dot for an eye. The interior of the box thing was divided into two parts, the top was full of balls, supplied by spiders, which went downhill to a gate labeled 'portal' the lower half had a similar layout with the portal pointed the other way, the arrow going in, and a herd of four legged ovals marching toward the door side of the fixture.. which was built like an airlock, so no spiders could get inside to empty the thing out.

She looked closely at the notes pointing to the live creatures. "Stunned or in stasis, least painful method."

"sooo how do you reload your spider vending machine?

"targeted portkeys, the thing is run by remote, no people on the island, too dangerous to risk.. well maybe it would be a good job for Ron.."

He drew a glass dome on top of the device with a stick figure in it labeled Ron, with a lever that controlled the mechanism.. the spiders had to supply a certain weight in silk before they could receive an animal..

"That's evil, you shouldn't do things like that Harry."

she smiled at him.

"Come to the dark side, we have cookies"

he tried to do an evil laugh, but it came off as adolescent.

He tried to turn serious, but failed. "Really, I don't want to risk anyone.. but the thought of it is so tempting.."

"you have to have someone monitor it, you know they will figure out that if they put rocks in the hopper, it will trigger the door."

"Nope, I figured out that one last summer.." he dug through his trunk and pulled out an older version of the notebook/sketchbook, and showed her the sorting runes he had used and the notes he had taken. some more digging, and a shrunken box of things. Unshrink and out he pulled..an old embroidery hoop. He carried the box of soup tins over to the far wall, and showed her how it worked.. the handfuls of hardware, screws and bolts and junk dropped through the nimbus in the hoop and fell into the separate soup tins. They spent a while experimenting with variations, and he showed her the latest improvement on the rig. "Put a sheet from floor to ceiling, blocking the soup tins."

she conjured up a sheet which was attached floor and ceiling. He dumped the bucket of junk into the hoop and they could hear the rattle of metal in the tin cans opposite. they bent to look at the sheet closely, to see if there was any kind of mark or passage through.. She did it again, this time conjuring a wooden wall, as Stone was a bit much for even a powerful fourth year.

He poured more junk and hardware, and the rattle was heard again.

They looked at each other in amazement. vanished the wall, and gathered up the soup tins in a box, after emptying them.

"What's the range, do you think?"

"we could have Dobby or someone put these over in the Ravenclaw tower" she gestured towards the next tower over. there would be two stone walls between here and there, plus, how far is the distance? " he eyeballed it, "About 100 meters I think."

Dobby had heard his name mentioned, and had popped in. "Whats going on that you are thinking of me?"

"Hey, Dobb, hows it going, We were working on an experiment, and were testing out some theory, were testing the limits" They showed him the hoop and the soup tins with he sorting runes. "We transported the stuff through the sheet, and through wood wall, We were going to send the cans over to Ravenclaw Tower and see what the limits are on distance." "Shall I take them and we try it?" "Would you?" "Sure. " he picked up the box and turned to pop over. "Wait a second." "Hermione, make another mirror, please?" She was getting quite good at this, She made a mirror and handed it to Dobby. "There, now you can call us, or we can call you anytime." The elf' eyes widened a bit. "This is cool, I like it." He popped away. Harry sighed. "We might as well make one for Winky as well" Harry's mirror chimed. Dobby's face appeared.

"Ready"

Harry dumped a handful of hardware and they could hear the cans rattling on the other end, over 100 meters away. "Everything look normal?" Dobby picked through some random pieces and looked them over "All seems to be in order. the runes on the tins are warm though."

"We need to monitor temperatures, you think?" He asked the girl.

"Is it due to mass, or type of material, you think?"

"Dobby, dump the tins out and watch to see which one gets the most heat, We think it might be based on the mass of what goes through." "Gotcha, watching"

Harry dumped the whole bucket through, and knew that one or two of the tins would get most of the mass, and some tins only a little. Dobby reported back. "By weight, the tin with the most in it is the warmest of the six most used.. " We're going to do it again, you think you can get accurate numbers?"

"sure no problem, do it again."

They did it again, Hermione suggested that they simplify the experiment.

Dobby came back and the expanded the tin that took Iron based hardware, and then 'ran it out' to measured distances. They took one kilo of iron and put it through the hoop, Dobby took the temperature, and it was noted. he made several steps each of 100 meters, and they did it again and again, making a chart. 1 kilo, at 100-200-300-400-meters until they had 1600 meters, a mile Each time the kilo went through, but each time the temp got hotter and hotter. They quit at a mile, because the tin was getting hot, but the hoop was getting hotter... the more distance, the more heat was generated, . The wooden hoop was starting to steam a bit, even char at the edges.

Dobby came back with the tins in a box. "Maybe we need to try this with iron or brass hoops." Harry was thinking out loud.

"Iron has a higher melting temperature than brass, and there are alloys that are even higher than that.. tungsten, for instance." Hermione interjected. "I know where I can get some Iron hoops if you want to try them." Dobby volunteered.

"sure, if you don't get in trouble." "Oh no, they have been laying there for many years now.. BRB"

The couple looked at each other with a question on their face. "did he just say BRB?"

Dobby re-appeared with an assortment of Iron hoops, that if you knew what you were looking at, were tires from old cart wheels. they were various sizes, worn and smooth on the outside, and the remains of a wooden wheel on the inside. There was a thin patina of rust on all of them.

Harry pulled out two of the smaller ones, that were obviously a match. He vanished the wood and did a powerful cleaning spell with his wand, he did still use his wand for a great many things, and set the thing on the work table, on edge.

"I need to measure the inside diameter, and set the spacing for the runes.". Hermione's quick wand conjured up a tool that looked like a wheel with numbers on it. He made a mark and rolled the thing around the inside, noting the number when he was done.

"Very good, spacing is seven cm. that will give us an edge, because 7 is an important number, arithmetically." He laid the tool aside, gently as if to protect it, and wrote out some equations. She looked them over. "In runes class we were taught that this has to be a multiplier of 4, because.."

"I didn't take the class, Hermione, I just started doing what felt right, this feels right. I suppose we can figure it backwards from the finished hoop, to figure out why it works, but trust me, it will work."

She sighed, her trust in hard and fast rules falling by the wayside.

He began to engrave the runes with a tool he had made, very sharp steel, with a carbide tip, he had found the piece in an old sales case of Vernon's, a drill metal sample. He made a mental note to get some more.

While he was bent over working, Hermione's mind began to drift towards the Yule Ball. "I'm looking forward to the Ball, you know, I really wanted to go with you, but as we agreed, it's probably best that the old man doesn't know, and my going with Viktor will really help him out."

Harry grunted.

"Did you notice how close Luna and Sergei are?, I mean if he wasn't.. you know, he would probably propose to her right now, they really have similar interests. Yesterday after we left the Dragon encampment I heard them talking about Snorkacks.. like he believed in them."

Harry replied "Who knows, maybe they are something we know and recognize with a different name.. you know Kneazles look a lot like cats, after all, Snorkacks might just be a big blue bunny rabbits for all we know" she agreed. "I need to be a bit more understanding of Luna, She is in enigma to me, and I suspect to a lot of other people as well."

"You do know she lost her mum when she was nine, right?"

Harry straightened up from his work and adjusted it on the table.

"I didn't know it was that recent, actually, I never thought of it at all.."

"I's not something that comes up in everyday conversation, but she told me when we were flying that day." "The day she made a prophecy?"

"yeah.." he bent to his work and concentrated. "I'm going to call her, give me a yell if you need any help" she went to the far side of the tower and pulled out her mirror, Harry grunted in answer, he was concentrated on pushing his magic into the runes as he created them.

"Luna Lovegood" A few moments. The mirror wavered and cleared up, the face of the young blond witch appeared. "Hello Hermione, are you calling a meeting of the Smart Girls Corner?" "No, not today, Luna, I just wanted to talk to you, and see how you are, did the ward locks and return runes work for your clothes?" "Why yes, it did, quite well, I must thank Harry for that, he is a good friend." "Yes he is, I think he would do anything for his friends, anywhere, anytime.. but watch out if you cross him, he might forgive, but he won't forget." she shivered at the thought of what Harry had said he would like to do to Ron. she shook her head. "Tell me Luna, hows your life, are things going well for you?".. "I think so..I have been seeing a specialist, a Mr Cromwell... their voices faded away into the mist.

His work on the first ring was complete, and he reached for the second ring, he looked up and noticed that Luna was in the tower with them, her dragonfly broom folded up and leaned against the wall. Hermione and Luna were sitting at a small table talking with some kind of silencing shield between them and him. He moved towards them and they noticed the movement. Dropping the privacy charm Hermione stood and hugged him. "You smell like burnt metal." she used her wand and did a scourgify and clothes freshening charm. "Come and sit with us, have a sandwich or something." An elf had brought tea and sandwiches at some point. "Good idea" he sat down. "Hello Luna, it's always good to see you" he grinned and picked up some food."so what are you two ladies over here gossiping about?"

"I hope you don't mind, I told Luna about the things you were working on, and the sidetrack that came up." she gestured toward the table with the iron rings. "No worries, it's all part of the same idea.. I will have to call Sirius and have this all fabricated, I can't do it all myself."

Luna tilted her head to one side. He looked at her suspiciously. "You're going to do it again, aren't you?" She smiled an enigmatic smile."I must, it is my calling" Hermione looked somewhat nonplussed."what?, what is she going to do?"

_"The things you are building now will be tools that you use to end the war, you will find your heritage and make the engines of industry run once more."_ the blond girl smiled at her raven haired friend. "I'm sorry, I cannot be more specific yet, it's all I have for now."

Neither Harry or Hermione could get Luna to expound on the words any more, so they let it lie for now.

"Tell me about your portal thingy, Harry."

They discussed the project and Luna did give them some ideas to work with.. He was having trouble powering the runic clusters, so she suggested putting the ring into an axial spin, it would have to be balanced, to be sure, but the spinning, along with the correct rune in the right spot, it would be pretty close to perfect efficiency, the only real loss would be generated heat. A second outer ring with directed cooling charms would take care of that..

Later, he looked at what he had done so far, and there it was an obvious gap in the sequence, he had used a 7 cm spacing, and there was enough space between each and every cluster to place the power rune.

He did not consider it a coincidence, He engraved the power runes and suspended the ring on a levitation field and gave it a spin. He watched it for an hour, and it did not appear to slow down, or gather any heat, even without the cooling charms.

The girls had left, Hermione down the stairs to the secret entrance to Gryffindor Tower, and Luna flew away on her broom. Harry was alone pondering his creation, and what Luna had said.

* * *

The day of the Yule Ball came. the school was excited, no one was getting any work done, Harry had laid down his projects for a bit as well. He had been thinking about how to deal with near frozen water, getting around underwater, and the idiocy of having spectators sitting in bleachers watching a lake where they couldn't see anything.. at all.

Neville had suggested Gillyweed, and Harry had acquired some via Owl Catalog.. he had considered stealing some from Snape, but decided, he wanted no contact with the greaseball. He learned the bubblehead, and learned to do it without a wand or incantation, he would be underwater, and that wouldn't help if he couldn't cast it. Harry and Hermione had spent a bit of quality time in the Prefects Bath, experimenting with the charm.. and things.

The Yule Ball was upon them. There was a room set aside for the Champions and their dates, so Harry and his co-champions all appeared in place to get dressed. The Women's side was a bustle of activity, the men's side, not so much. Each of the four champions got dressed, adjusted their ties and whatnot. A handler from Carpentier's came by and did some last minute adjustments and making sure things were perfect, and did what guys want, he left them alone.

Fleur and Genn shared a cubicle, which was poorly named, since it was huge, and helped each other dress, along with a lady whom Fleur had known for years, who had dressed her mother and her grandmother. The woman spoke only French and there was a continuous stream of comment going on with the two women. Genn was a year younger than Fleur, so she was only two years older than Harry, a small thing, but when you are young, it can matter. "is everybody ready?" Madam Maxime entered the room." The women spun so their skirts flared out.

"Oui, Madame. We Are."

"Very well, there will be a signal and you will meet your escorts at the entrance to the Great Hall, and you will enter with style and grace, just like the proper ladies you are."

She stepped to the door. "Have fun, girls" and left.

The three seekers were talking about the Quidditch World Cup, and asked why Viktor had stopped the game when he had. "Vell, it vas obvious that my chaser could not keep up vith their chasers, it seemed the right thing to do."

"It was quite a game, the first professional game I have ever seen. I don't really think I would like to do it professionally, I just like to fly, It doesn't mean enough to me, you know?"

Harry put he idea forth Both of the other seekers nodded. Viktor expounded on the subject. "If you don't have the heart for it, you will never do vell, in any sport or business, I havf seen may people try, but it was not their idea to do, and they havf failed." Roger spoke up."I was told that I have to succeed at the family business, but I really don't care about it enough, I doubt I will do well, I really want to try farming, using magic and muggle methods together, my family's business is retail. I mean, I could do it, but..well" Viktor pointed to that. "Exactly.. anyone can learn a skill and be competent, but vhy torment yourself.?"

"I will need some farm managers, come see me this summer." Harry spoke quietly. Cedric looked to the younger man. "You are going to end up employing everyone, aren't you?" The young seeker gave a shy grin.

"Who's your favorite team, Cedric?"

"Puddlemere, you know that."

"I just found out last month I own Puddlemere.."

"you're shittin me!"

Harry looked shocked, he had never heard Cedric speak like that.

"er, no, I will ask the managers to give you a tryout if you want.. do you think Cho would like to try out also?"

"I don't know, I'll ask her.." Harry looked at the others in the room.

"Guys, try not to let it get around, please, I have enough problems with fangirls as it is."

The others nodded.

Maybe we can do a playoff with all the houses, find the best players now at Hogwarts , Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, there's an awful long time between the second task and the third, we all need to keep in shape, no?

"Not a bad idea, maybe we could do something for charity, sell tickets for a galleon apiece, "Krum vs the Schoolboys. A Trouncing!" he made like a marquee. "I beat Potter, you know" Cedric looked smug, then his face sagged. Of course it was because Dementors were on the pitch."

"No, it wasn't, I admit, the Dementors affected me, but you were closer to the snitch, you got it fair and square, there's no way I would have beaten you.." Harry jostled the older boy. "Hey now, watch it, you might wrinkle me." Cedric joked.

"Gentlemen"

They looked up, Three champions and Roger.

"The Ball is about to begin, the ladies will come out the main entrance to the Great Hall, you are to place yourselves here, at the door and greet your date as she enters." Miss Delacouer will be first, as she is a Champion, followed by Miss Chang, Miss Granger and Miss Dubois"

"It's time to go"

They all stood and trooped out, and hit their designated spots.

Harry's mind was going a hundred klicks a second, trying to remember how to dance,

* * *

They entered the Great Hall, and took their spots, the light in the area was somewhat subdued, and Harry suspected a subtle notice-me-not charm.

The music was quiet and generic, and there were people milling about, drinking and talking and gossiping.

Dumbledore came out to the center of the Hall and cast a sonorus.

"Welcome, Welcome to the Yule Ball, Welcome Each and every one, Hogwarts welcomes the Staff and Students of Beauxbatons, The staff and Students of Durmstrang. We welcome you." he waited for the applause to die down. This evening, is a celebration of the Yule and of the Champions of each of our institutions."

Without further Ado, I give you, The Champions.!"

he gestured towards the entrance and a spotlight shone on the entryway.

Just inside the door, Roger Davies was there to meet his date, Fleur Delacouer, She stepped forward like a queen, or at least a princess. The music playing was a flourish, with a lot of horns and trumpets. The couple linked arms and stepped gracefully towards the dance floor.

Cho Chang stepped forward and was met by Cedric Diggory. She was dressed in a silk robe, very smooth and snug, with an oriental look to it.

He held out his arm and they stepped gracefully as well, taking their place .

Viktor stepped up. Hermione entered the hall, and there was a gasp at how beautiful she was, a beautiful blue dress, her hair smooth and precise, not a single hair out of place. Harry was dumbfounded, shocked, stunned. "My gods you're beautiful...Her eyes met his and she smiled.

He was still stunned when she mouthed the word "Genn"

He picked up quickly and stood straight. Genn Dubois stepped into the light, her hair shone like a halo of coppery gold, her dress was the perfect color, her everything was exactly right. Her smile was there for many reasons, she was destined for greatness, because of her association with the right people. her new friends, her impending apprenticeship, Her life was almost perfect.

* * *

A/N I refuse to kill off Genn, I like her, so don't ask.

BTW her name is pronounced 'zhenn'

edit 2-16-10


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Power(they do not use)

The Yule ball kicked off with a bang, The champions were all front and center on the dance floor, the music was starting up and he was expected to dance. He had taken Genn in arms and immediately forgotten everything he knew about dancing.

Mentally he heard Hermione's voice counting off.

"one two three one two three"

A step, and they were in motion.

"Hi" " 'ello, 'arry" her accent was showing a bit, she and Fleur had been jabbering in their native language for the previous four hours. "You are quite beautiful this evening, I hope the dress serves you well, you make it look good." "you are being a .. flatterer, I think""besides, look at your girlfriend, she is very beautiful this night." Harry looked in the direction that Genn had indicated. "Yes she is, and I will always treasure that, but tonight, I am here with you." he looked her. in the eyes and could sense a certain feeling, and pick up some thoughts.

_"this is no mere boy, but his heart is hers.."_

he shook himself at that incident. "what is it 'arry?" she looked worried.

"I...I think I just picked up your thoughts.. sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It is ...acceptable. My thoughts are my own, but with a friend, I will share,I am a mere two years older than you, and in the real scheme of things, that is insignificant.. You are quite a desirable catch, and any young lady would be blessed by the Goddess to be with you." she blushed. "I have no chance with you, 'Arry, even though, I believe we could be good friends, Your heart belongs to 'Ermione, completely.. any woman can see that."

Another dance had started, and the other dancers had invaded the floor. Thew crowd whirled and swirled. Harry caught glimpses of Viktor and Hermione dancing not ten feet away, but there was at least three couples between them. He dragged his attention back to the older girl with him. "How are you certain about Hermione and me?" he asked curiously. "I have been with you both when Fleur purposely used 'er Veela Allure, and you didn't even flinch, You were sitting with me, and you glanced at her, it was like it wasn't there." he frowned. "when was this?.. when we were in the pub?" "yes, after we were fitted at the clothier." Harry remembered that day, a week ago, and didn't recall anything odd happening, except for Cormac McLaggen getting out of his booth by climbing over the table and falling on his face. Realization struck. "So that's why MacLaggen was.." She nodded in assent. "Every male in the pub, even Viktor was affected in some way..but not you."

"She is part of you, 'Arry, as you are part of 'er.. never lose that." she held him closely and kissed his forehead as they danced. The music came to an end, and everyone clapped, and some left the dance floor, some did not, so there was more space to work with. Genn looked up and to the left as the music for the next dance began. "I wish to dance with the Bulgarian Champion, do you mind?" Harry just nodded, he was still stunned when he found Hermione in his arms.

"Oh, hello, you are looking quite beautiful tonight" Hermione had remained silent until he spoke. "Thank you, Harry, I feel..different."

"I would say so, you are dressed in the best, you are more lovely than any other woman at the ball..." he had to interrupt her protestations.."I said it, I mean it, You are dancing with the champions of this misbegotten tournament, and that has to mean something socially.. you are with friends." "Yes, I suppose so, but opinions are so subjective.." she gave him a lopsided grin. "Well, lovely lady, your opinion is the only one I care about, now or in the future." She blushed and leaned into him, her head upon his shoulder.

"What are we going to do about the old man and the greaser?" she spoke quietly into his ear.

"Keep doing the daily backups of your memory, like Andy showed us, do your meditation and keep control of your memories." They had both taken to doing this so they didn't lose anything to obliviation..

"Have you lost anything lately?"

"No, he seems to have backed off a bit."

"well keep acting as if you are obeying his orders and you will probably be all right."

"I hope so, Hermione, I hope so"

The dance went on, various partners danced together, but kept coming back to their first partner. Ginny was in heaven, dancing with Neville, and they were on the floor almost every single dance. Ginny looked over Neville's shoulder and saw Harry and Hermione molded together and turning to the music. "They look right together, don't they?" Neville was about to raise the question, and Ginny inclined her head toward the couple. His eyes followed them as he and Ginny did their own turn. "I believe you are right, Miss Weasley, Actually I think they have been together since the first trip on the Express." She quirked an eyebrow at this. "You know, it's my fault they met." "Really?, how?"

You know I have a toad, Trevor?" she nodded. "He had gotten loose again and Hermione had offered to help me find him, and we entered the compartment that Harry and Ron were in, Ron was eating all the chocolate and treats Harry had bought, and Harry was looking a bit stunned, to tell the truth.. when he came here the first time he was scrawny and small, and looked broken."

Ginny shook her head. "I have heard some stories about his relatives.. did you know that the twins had to break him out of his relatives house, they had put bars on the window, like it was Azkaban.."

"Ginny, I don't want to talk about, Harry, he's as good as a brother to me, but I want to think about you..I know I asked you here as a friend, but I would like to someday be more than friends with you, if you will let me." All thoughts of Harry went out of the young girl's mind as she looked into the eyes of the Heir of Longbottom.

Dumbledore watched as the students and champions danced and swirled. He noted who his pawns were dancing with, he noted how long and how close they seemed to be. He was somewhat concerned that his weapon, that is, his pawn was close to the other champions and there was no apparent contention between them. He needed to sow seeds of discontent, to force strife and break unity. He had a plan that had to succeed, and he couldn't afford for his pawn to be too powerful.

He gestured and the blank faced ginger came and stood by the Headmaster.

_"How dare She go and dance with Krum, he's the enemy"_

_"She is yours, you need to fight for her, so Harry doesn't get her."_

_"this way you'll get something Harry wants, but can't have."_

_"He is rich and famous and you have nothing but second hand junk"_

_"Harry is your best mate, He's supposed to be with Ginny"_

_the words filled in the emptiness in the young man's head._

The tall boy stared blankly at the dance floor and his eyes focused momentarily on the dancing couple. Adrenalin and anger surged through his veins. He grew red faced.

He stalked around the edges of the dance floor in his ancient maroon robes with lace around the collar, and sat down heavily beside a beautiful South Asian girl who was angry at being ignored. He sat and glared at the couples on the dance floor.

Parvati Patil was quite angry. She had known better than to go to the ball with Weasley, she was not completely sure how she ended up accepting his invitation, in fact, she didn't remember his invitation, just that she was there, wearing last years formal gown and was to be 'escorted by a pureblood' She knew something was up, because she would never would have worn THIS gown to the Yule Ball, this was an Autumn dress, not a Winter dress, it was all wrong, and the shoes didn't match. She needed to talk to her friend Lavender. When she was finally fed up with the 'proper pureblood' that she was saddled with, she got up and left. She saw Lavender dancing with Terry Boot.

Lavender and Terry got along well, they had different interests and different houses, but were willing to overlook that in order to go to the dance. Lavender had picked Terry out, because he was the right height and coloring to match her dress and accessories, plus she had know him since they were in primary school together. The current dance ended and they strolled over to the tables at the sides and an elf brought them some drink.

"How are you two doing, having fun?" The mixed house couple nodded, wondering why their friend looked angry. "Whats up, Par?" Lavender asked gently. She could see her friend was upset. "That useless Git the weasel has been ignoring me all evening, we've been here an hour and I haven't danced once, all he does is sit there and glare at Harry and grumble, and when he looks at Hermione, well, I don't like the look on his face." The girl was crying now. "I don't know how I got here, I don't remember being asked to the Ball, I don't.. well this dress, you know.." she held her foot up so Lavender could see the shoes. Her friend flinched, looking at the shoes. "That's an Autumn dress, and the shoes.. you would never.." "That's right, I don't think I did.. if I don't remember being asked to the ball, I don't remember getting dressed, then what else has happened that I don't know about?"

Terry had listened to the rant and pondered the words. He was no dummy, he was in Ravenclaw for a reason.

"Parvati, what DO you remember?"

she sniffled and wiped her eyes and blew her nose, Terry had handed her a nice linen handkerchief. "Thank you.. that's how a gentleman should act, not like that useless git." The couple rolled their eyes. "I've seen him eat. I wonder how you Gryffs can stand to be around him." Terry snorted. Lavender spoke up. "It's worse in the common room, he doesn't have any hygiene to speak of, I hear he steals from his dormies, and whenever Harry's not around, he's badmouthing his friend.. supposed friend."

"Sounds like a ginger Malfoy to me. The trio laughed.

"Well, Parvati, if you think something might have happened, I would advise visiting Madam Pomfrey for a checkup, for one, and you might want to talk to one of my housemates, She's a third year, but her gift is beginning to show." "Who, what gift?" "You might think she's a bit odd, but Luna Lovegood, she has a gift as a Seer, and is getting special training with an Unspeakable." "She's not taking Divination?" "No, you can't teach a Seer, either you have the gift or you don't , all Trelawney can teach you is the methods of seeing, divining, cards, tea leaves, scrying, techniques."

This statement made an impression on both girls, and somewhere deep down inside, they understood something they had not before.

"I'm still concerned about where my time went, who did what to me, it worries me, and why anyone would think I went to the Ball with an idiot like that."

Lavender looked over at the Ginger boy. "You heard him ask Fleur Delacouer out to the ball, she put him down, hard!" The other two nodded. "If he ended up here with you, that means someone is using him for some reason, he's never shown anyone any respect or thanked anyone.. why is he even here?" Parvati answered part of that question. "Hermione has been nice to him, if it weren't for her, he would have flunked out both first and second year, maybe even third.. " Lavender nodded. "I've noticed that both Harry and Hermione are avoiding him as much as possible, and yet he still pursues them as if he's their best friend."

The girls looked at each other, then to Terry. "Do you think he's a Psychic Vampire?" "well, he does make me weary to be around him, he used Harry's fame to bully people around..I don't know if Harry realizes that"

The three drank their drinks.

"Tomorrow morning, I am going to Madam Pomfrey to make sure I am not damaged or something, and then I am going to stay as far away from that prick as I can." Lavender nodded in agreement. "We'll have to go early, I think Madam Pomfrey is taking some days off for holiday"

"Who will be in the infirmary over Yule break?" "I hear they are sending interns from St Mungos by the day, "

They sat silently for a bit. Parvati turned to Lavender and pointed to Terry with a questioning look on her face. Lavender spoke up. "Terry, will you be a dear and dance with Parvati?" The Ravenclaw boy smiled. "I would be glad to, My lady?" He stood and accepted her hand. Lavender watched as the couple danced and swirled around the dance floor. Harry was once again dancing with the French girl, what was her name?.. Dubois, Zhenn Dubois.. They looked elegant together and moved well. Miss Brown gathered her Gryffindor Courage and captured Harry's eye as he moved by, and gestured 'you & me, dance?' He nodded on the next turn, and whispered something in his date's ear. The older girl's eyes swept across the Gryffindor girl. She smiled and invited the younger girl to join them. Lavender stepped out on the floor and found herself in a threesome whirling and moving.

"Zhenn, this is Lavender Brown, a friend of mine, Lav, this is Zhenn Dubois, from Beauxbatons." "Hello, Zhenn, Pleased to meet you. "As I you, Lavender, you are very pretty today, where is your date?"

"He's over there dancing with my friend Parvati, her date was a dud.."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Ron" Harry rolled his eyes at the answer.

Genn continued. "You might do me a favor, Lavender, please?"

"she nodded. "Please dance with Harry for a while, I am tired, I am not an athlete as he is, and I have been dancing for almost two hours straight, I think that Hermione has created a dancing monster here"

They all laughed. "I will, thank you for sharing him" she answered primly. Genn bowed her head and stepped out, seating herself at the table where Lavender and Terry had been sitting.

"So, you and Hermione." He nodded. "We are keeping it quiet, so please don't spread it around, ok?" "I won't be the one spreading stories about you, Harry, your 'mate' over there does quite a job of it on his own, especially when you are not around." Anger flitted across the young man's face. "I know, I am working on fixing that, and if I have to, I will fix it permanently..so, you and Terry Boot?" "I've know Terry since we were little kids, he's a safe date, and he loves to dance, so it's all good."

"I heard he doesn't.." "That's his business, he's still my friend, and in spite of being in Ravenclaw, he is loyal to me.. I might say better than the git." Harry noticed the anger in the girl's voice and the stare pointed toward the ginger .

"Parvati doesn't remember being asked to the ball, by him or anyone else, and the dress she is wearing is all wrong, and the wrong accessories, it's like someone who doesn't know fashion dressed her. I'm worried that our minds are being messed with, and who knows what else."

They twirled a few beats of the music. Harry made a decision. "Lavender, do you trust me?" She thought about it a moment.. "Yes, yes, I do"

"I want to do a little check to see if you have been obliviated.. what I am going to do is look into your eyes and scan your memories, I won't dig, but I will be able to see if there are any spots where something is wrong.." he blushed. "If I see anything I shouldn't, you have my word, I will never tell anyone without your permission" This was potentially embarrassing, but she girded herself. "Scan me Harry"

He had decided to try and use the emerging talent, Shala encouraged him.

He looked deeply into her eyes, she felt a light brushing on her thoughts, as if a light breeze had come through a summer window.

Harry skimmed over the surface thoughts and memories of the girl, he didn't notice anything untoward, no big gaps or missing spaces in the way he visualized memory. There was a slight pressure that seemed to be coming from over there..He banked and flew over to the area and there, lying on top of the memory banks, was something that obviously didn't belong.

/Shala, what is this?/

/it looks like a command/

/or a compulsion/

/what do I do with it?/

/cast it out drain the magic/

/out of it/

He did so, he took the object, which was broadcasting on a low tone, and made the magic flow out of it, and directed the magic to the girl's core. He listened to the intent of the thing speaking. The dead husk of the command he banished and then he looked around for more, not finding any he pulled out of the girl's mind.

He looked at her face, trying to see what she was thinking. "are you all right?" They had kept dancing the whole time, not missing a step. Lavender followed without thinking, or understanding where she was. She came to herself. "What did you do, I feel different." "Different good or different bad?" "umm, I'm not sure, .. I feel.. somehow..lighter, like there is no pressure.. you know, like walking into the wind?"

"I do indeed. What was there was a compulsion someone planted on you, and I drained the magic out of it, that's why you feel a bit more energetic now, and banished the compulsion."

She looked scared. "What was the compulsion.?"

"It was to be nosy and gossip about everyone and everything, and a particular attention to myself." he frowned. "Someone set you up as a spy without your knowledge."

The pretty girl frowned, anger crossed her features. She stopped dancing and stood there glaring at Harry. "I want to know who did it and I want blood, That pisses me off!" Harry took her in arms and continued to dance. "I think I know who did it, and trust me, Lavender, I will make him pay." he paused. "But for now we have to wait, We are only fourth years and we need to gain power, both magically and politically, let me give you some advice, pretty lady, this is for you , and Parvati, and any of your friends.. never look Dumbledore or Snape in the eyes, they are legilimancers, they can read you and control you with their minds."

She looked him in the eyes, parsing what he had said. She smiled and nodded

.

"I trust you Harry, thank you. Are you and Hermione going home for the Holidays?"

Shaking his head, and catching up with the conversation he spoke. "She is going with her family to France, I am staying here, I have no family, Relatives, yes, family no...other than Sirius, I have no family."

Everyone had heard the story of Sirius Black by now.. how he was still being held by the Ministry, still without a trial, and the real perpetrator of the crime had confessed under Veritaserum. It was front page news in all the magical papers in the world, except The Daily Prophet. .

"The reason I ask if you are going home, is that Parvati and I are staying here for the Yule Holidays, and I want you to check her out just like you checked me out."

"I'll be glad to do that, in fact, I see Parvati and Terry right over there, shall we switch?"

They did, and Harry found his arms around Parvati, but not before the blond girl had spoken to her friend. "trust Harry, he will fix your mind, he did mine."

"I thought she was mad at you, I saw her face when you two stopped dancing, she looked really angry." The Indian girl looked cautious.

"I scanned her mind for obliviation and the like and found a compulsion charm there, pushing her to do something she normally wouldn't.

"What kind of compulsion?" "It was to spy on me and others and gossip about it. Someone was using her as a spy, I suspect if you think there are blind spots in your memory, then you have likely been obliviated as well."

"Can you remove it, or retrieve my memories?" "I don't know, we probably should have you looked at by a professional, I would like to think of you as my friend, and because of that, I certainly don't want you hurt."

"Will it hurt to look?" "No, I don't think so, you should be all right." "OK then, do that thing you do, check me, scan me, I need to know."

Harry looked the beautiful girl in the eyes and was taken into her mind. He skimmed across the surface, not looking at the thoughts, but rather looking for absence of thoughts and memories. His perception noticed a few blank areas that could be an obliviation, it seemed as if something had been there but was now missing.. the surrounding bits seemed to be like feelers, looking for their connections. He paused at one particular spot, where he could see the ghostly outlines of something, like a parked car covered with ice, he could see it there, but it wasn't defined. Using the ice metaphor he imagined some radiated sunlight melting away the ice. The whitish substance receded and melted away into vapor, leaving the frozen memories dripping and thawing, and soon they looked as healthy and vibrant as the surrounding growth.

He pulled back as soon as he was sure things were progressing as they should, and looked for any more spots of damage. He let his senses flow and detected a compulsion much like the one that was on Lavender, he followed it to it's source and there was much the same, a compulsion sitting there, like a turd on a tablecloth. He did as before, drained the inherent magic in the thing and banished the remains, he looked about one more time and withdrew from her mind.

Parvati's body was going through the motions of dancing but she was obviously working on some inner situation. Harry slowly, gently eased her over to the table and set her down in a seat, and sat there with her, and Genn, and shortly thereafter Lavender and Terry. "Whats going on?" Parvati didn't answer, she was still working on something.

Hermione and Viktor wandered over with a question on their lips.

Harry asked for a privacy charm and Genn provided it with a flick of her wand. He gestured for his friends to lean in. "Lavender and Parvati have been hit with a low level compulsion, and Parvati has been partially obliviated.. I don't think there was anything physical done to her, just that she was guided to join Ron at the ball and wear this dress."

The gathered people were shocked and gasps and anger were heard.

"That is unlawful.. if it had happened to a citizen of France, they perpetrator would be arrested." Viktor nodded in agreement. "In my country they would be whipped as well."

Harry looked around to his countrymen. Terry seemed to know something about the law. "It is as well here in the UK, but someone seems to think they can get away with it, but who?"

The youngest champion's face grew hard. "The one who seems to think he is above the law."

Both Lavender and Parvati looked angry. Terry re-iterated his earlier point. "As I said, you should see Madam Pomfrey or someone who has skills in the mind arts."

"Do we know anybody?"

Terry spoke again. "I believe that Luna is seeing someone that is helping her." Terry had a soft spot for the odd third year girl.

Harry looked at his best friend and mentally pushed a thought toward her.

_"we need to learn how to block the old man and the greaser."_

She nodded silently, not saying anything. Her mind pushed a thought back toward him'

"_Luna has gotten better, we need to talk to her, soon."_

This was the first time they had communicated this way.

Harry glanced around the group. "for the present time, lets have fun at the ball, and over the holidays we will work on what needs to be worked on.. Hermione, can you give Lav and Parvati some basic instructions in meditation?" The brunette Gryffindor nodded. "I'm going to France for holiday, but I will have two days before I have to leave" Genn perked up at this. "You are coming to France?, you must visit my home, we will show your family a French Magical Yule". Fleur nodded in agreement. "If you can I would like to invite you to my family estate as well". Hermione was astounded at the offers of the two French women, "I..I must ask my parents, but I would like to, very much.." Hermione felt blessed that the Gallic women had taken a liking to her.

The Ball came to an end, and the night resolved itself as couples went off to quiet hidden places, Harry and Hermione walked Fleur and Genn back to the great carriage that doubled as a mobile school and dorm, all the comforts of home. They walked quietly back up the path toward the castle together in the dark. The snow lay about, covering everything and glistening with a cold blue light of the partial moon. Smoke rose out of chimneys of Hagrid's hut, of several of the castle spires and towers.

Midnight had come and gone and the stillness in the air surrounded them, The young couple held each other closely, great woolen cloaks surrounding them, and the warming charms on their clothing holding back winter's chill. Harry leaned back and Hermione leaned back into his chest, his arms around her, they gazed up at the stars flung across the sky.

There were quietly whispered words between them, and after a while of watching the stars and the icy mist slowly moving over the surface of the Lake, the couple stood and went into the castle, the door closing solidly behind them.

Albus Dumbledore stood at the top of the Astronomy tower, his heart as cold as the stones of that tower. He was looking down on his domain, thinking about who he needed to influence to do his will, to reach his goals. He had two of the Hallows in his possession, the Wand, taken from Gellert, and the Cloak, currently in Harry Potter's trunk, but still in his control. He would be the Master of Death, he would find the Resurrection stone, he was sure it was at the Gaunt property, that's why he had purchased the property those years ago, so he could control access.

For now he had to run a Tournament and bring back his former student to power, his biggest potential creation, and biggest failure, Tom Riddle. He was tuning the young Potter as his tool to be used in his rehabilitation of Tom. Potter was the dead end of an old line, and Albus had his sights set on all that money and power, the loss of one boy was acceptable. The problem of Pettigrew and Black was the foremost in his mind, Pettigrew was necessary to set up the ritual, as his young Defense teacher Barty Crouch Jr. was occupied portraying Moody..maybe he would have to let the boy go and replace him with Severus this year rather than next..He had let Severus actively recruit from the ranks of students for Tom, let them learn Dark arts on the sly, because when he brought Tom back into the fold, he would need minions to do his dirty work.

He came to a decision. He would let the Ministry free Black and kiss Pettigrew, and as soon as Black was free , he would meet an awful accident, before the end of the next year..

_"hmmm, I have to bring the prophecy to the fore, somehow.. Didn't the Black fortune include some properties in London as well?. Somehow if I can control those as well.." _

It is so very hard when a person has no convictions other than his lust to remain in power. This described Albus Dumbledore to a T.

He was just as driven as Tom Riddle was to gain ultimate power, The power over death, immortality. Dumbledore would use people, as well as governments, nations and entire races to achieve his ends. He would sacrifice any magical creature on his altar of whim, and had, many times in the past. The Wizarding World was convinced of the old man's publicity machine that claimed his affiliation with a phoenix was a sign that he was of the light, that no phoenix would associate itself with a dark wizard. This was not the case.. just about anything and any creature could be confounded, as shown by the Goblet of Fire..

There were a great many things taught at Hogwarts that did not align with truth or even logic. The truth was, there was more, much more going on in the world than the average witch or wizard was aware of. Much of what was going on was all choreographed by one old man.

He would sacrifice his 'old friend' Nicholas Flamel on a whim, One thing he didn't know was that Nicholas and Pernelle Flamel were in hiding, and had not handed over the real stone, but one of the 'close but not quite' versions.. if he ever used the stone and expected results, he might be in for a surprise.

One secret that was being suppressed as often as possible was the access to the Forbidden forest.. The Forbidden forest was there as a habitat for all magical creatures, and it currently was being used as an incubator for a spider army. He had found that it was possible to control the beasts as they were not all sentient..he had to only control a few, Aragog and his female mate..all the offspring would follow behind blindly. Few knew that Dumbledore had brought the female in when he had banished Hagrid's' pet back in 1945, insuring the creature would breed and grow.

The young couple held each other tightly before they entered the common room, Sighing, they let go and stepped apart. "remember to back up your memories of today" he reminded her. "I think that today's memory will be one I keep forever, so, of course I will." Her smile made a warm place in his heart. He gave the password and held the gateway open for her to enter.

Ron Weasley was furious, The Git, as he was thought of in his mind, was holding on to His Girl.. probably taking advantage of her.. it was bad enough that she went to the ball with the Enemy, and The Git went to the ball with The French Tramp..Ron always thought in superlatives, and had assigned titles to all the players in this story.

The thought of Hermione as His Girl, The Enemy was Krum, The French Tramp could be more than one woman..

His little mind pondered. "hmmm, My Girl is with The Git, was with The Enemy, she's a mudblood, and everyone knows they are easy, so all I have to do is..." images rushed through his mind, thinking of what he wanted to do with the girl..none of it acceptable in polite society.

Neville and Ginny walked slowly through the halls back to the Common room, almost holding hands, but not quite. "I had a really good time, Neville, thank you for inviting me, and thank you for the dress and everything, it's beautiful, and.." Neville stopped and faced the petite redhead. "It was my pleasure, I had a wonderful time as well...can I be bold enough to ask you to Hogsmeade next term?" The girl looked a bit shy and whispered "yes, I'd like that" She threw her arms around him and held him tightly for a moment, laying her head on his shoulder. He slowly, almost clumsily raised his arms and enveloped the small girl.

She leaned back and looked him in the eye, darted forward and kissed his cheek and ran off, opening the portrait door and disappearing inside.

Neville stood there in the hall, stunned, his hand to his cheek.

Colin Creevy was working furiously in the darkroom he had been given a key to. He was processing multiple prints of couples who had gone to the ball, His favorite was the one of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. She was wearing a royal blue silk gown that was both complex and simple, elegant. Harry was wearing a custom fitted Tuxedo-robe which would look good in either world. Hermione's hands and arms were covered to the elbow with a astonishingly thin pair of gloves, also in royal blue to match her gown. Harry had a cummerbund and bow-tie that was charmed to match the dress color of any partner he was dancing with.

Colin was quite indebted to Harry, for shortly after the ball was announced, Harry had made a deal with Colin, he would pay for the equipment and chemicals for the processing, and Colin would set up and charge people for photographs of the ball, portraits, and images. Colin had taken the opportunity to upgrade his equipment and set up a professional grade processing station, that would serve him well for the remainder of his tenure at Hogwarts.

The payment for this was not too egregious, He had to submit any picture he wanted to publish to Harry's Solicitor, who also worked as his publicist. No one else was permitted to take any official pictures of Harry except Colin, and as such, the young man had a lock on his career for the future. There was also an ongoing photo album of every shot that he took of Harry and his friends, that was to be updated weekly. This evening's haul was at least one of Harry and every witch he had danced with, which was quite a considerable number. He had also shot a group portrait of the four champions and their dates. Colin had noticed while shooting this shot, there as good matured ribbing and friendship among the champions..He wondered, because according to Harry's roommate, they should all be enemies, at each others throats.

This would be a private photo, only shared by the champions and their dates, and friends.. there was a tiny french girl who was Fleur Delacouer's sister, there was a handsome man who was Krum's 'trainer' he called him, The other French girl that Malfoy's curse had hit, and where was Davies?.. Colin shrugged, He didn't know what was going on with who, all he was concerned about was making sure he made enough prints to go around before morning, The Hogwarts Express was leaving in less than eight hours and if he wanted to get paid, he needed to get these done. Colin worked steadily, his brother Dennis handed him the next set of negatives with a list of requirements, and while Colin did his chemical magic, Dennis packaged up the photo orders and labeled them appropriately.

The next morning, at ten am sharp, they set up at the entry hall of Hogwarts and each customer picked up their picture orders as they left the castle. Colin sorted and dealt with the customers, while Dennis kept the till, and checking off customers from his list. In that short hour, the two brothers made enough money to pay off their investor, and have enough left over to get all their school supplies for the next year.

Harry himself strolled up as the last of the departing students left, leaving the photo packages for the students remaining over the holidays.

"So how did you guys do today?" did you make a profit?" This was an expected question, as Harry was their initial investor.

Colin nodded. "I can't give an exact number right now, but we exceeded expectations on this project." he said this as he was pulling out the thick stack of pictures for his customer. "Each set, I have put your dance partner's name on it, and these" he handed over a separate envelope "Are the champions group shots, I made up four separate packets for this one."

Harry looked it over. "Very nicely done, Colin, Dennis, very professional looking. Did you put the copyright charm on them like I showed you?"

The Third year entrepreneur nodded. Harry had given him a runic stamp that made it impossible for the photo to be copied and published without permission. It looked like a rubber stamp, but the runes embossed the picture with the correct charms and spells to block unwanted distribution. He had learned this one examining many books and artifacts that had been copyrighted.

Harry took the photo packets and held out a bag full of galleons to the two brothers. "Take a break guys, you look as if you have been up all night."

They all laughed, as the whistle of the Hogwarts express went off, indicating the train was pulling out of the station.

That evening, the remaining students all went about their business, and no one noticed the absence of Harry and his friends. Hermione, Luna, Padma, Parvati and Lavender, were all hidden away, up in the Gryffindor tower, eating and drinking and generally being friends. Dobby came and went at will, making sure his friends were well fed.

"Luna, what can you tell us about this unspeakable who is helping you?." Harry asked, opening the line of conversation he wanted to follow. Luna being quite intelligent answered the question he didn't ask, that is, "Is there something you can share with us to protect our minds from invasion and obliviation?"

"Mr Cromwell is a very nice man who works as a consultant for the Unspeakables, he specializes in the mind arts, in how to protect yourself, how to build shields, organize your mind, legilimancy, occlumency and telepathy." The gathered people all looked impressed. "He also has some interest in oracular speaking and identifying Seers, and helping them with their training and mental protection." The blond girl looked at her hands in her lap. "That is why I am seeing him, because of my gift, which if left untrained would end up being a curse."

Lavender, being a big fan of divination asked."how do you see Luna?" Luna pondered how to explain her gift/curse.. She stood and moved to a blank chalkboard, and drew a circle. "This is my mind's eye. I look toward a subject or situation and I see all the possible ways that situation could go, I see a man sitting in the chair behind his desk, in one version, he reaches out and takes a drink of tea, in the next, he does not, in the next, he puts his hands behind his head and leans back, from there, in one version he falls over, in the next he does not.. while back here in the reality where the man drank his tea, he is either poisoned or not, he either spills his tea, or not.." **1**

By this time the board was covered with circles, decision points with lines from each and every one, until the right side of the board was covered with hundreds of circles and lines. Luna sighed, and walked back to the left side of the board and pointed to her hypothetical man's decision point. "The man drank his tea and was not poisoned, thus that reality disappears.." she flicked her wand and that thread disappeared from the board. "Here he does not lean back so he does not follow either of those paths." another flick and several more threads evaporated. "Now we have the man who drank his tea, was not poisoned, did not lean back and did not fall out of his chair." a flick, and more potential threads gone.. "He then opens his drawer and reaches in, and pulls out..." she stopped speaking, and looked at the circle of friends.

"Do you understand why I act like I do now?" "My inner eye is always seeing things that might happen, could happen, both good and bad." she turned to Harry "I don't want to lose my friends now that I actually have some, but Harry, you are at the junction of almost everything that happens between now and when the war is won..or lost" tears ran down her face. "I can't bear the thought of what the ...what.." she broke down and cried, almost falling over, Harry and Hermione reached out and enveloped the third year girl in their arms, not allowing her to fall. It was unlikely for that to happen anyway, as she had clung to them like ivy to a brick wall. This revelation about how the gift manifested in the girl opened the eyes of Lavender and Parvati, as they were big fans of Trelawney and her class.

After a while the younger girl calmed down. And the couple were able to place her between them on a couch. Lavender and the Patil twins were nearby, trying what they could to make their friend feel better.

Hermione thought of the right way to help her friend.. "Luna, Luna, sweetie, did Mr Cromwell give you any exercises to help you control your gift, or at least make it less painful?"

Luna visibly focused herself.. "Yes, yes he did, and I need to teach all of you how to do it..Come." she took the hands of Harry and Hermione and indicated that they should take the hands of the other girls in the room, forming a circle.

They sat quietly in a circle as Luna spoke. "What Mr Cromwell is teaching me is a form of occlumency, a way of protecting my mind, to control my thoughts.." she looked directly at Lavender and Parvati. "This should also help you two with retrieving your memories, and protect you from anyone doing it again." She looked at everyone, one tear still glistening in her eye as she felt the appreciation and concern of her friends. "First, you need to clear your mind, this is how I was taught.."

The day was profitable to the group, because they were set on a path that would set the world on it's ear. The next day Hermione went to McGonnegal's office and used the floo to meet her parents at the Leaky Cauldron, and from that point they drove directly to Heathrow and a flight out to France. Jake and Miranda loved their daughter very much, and were willing to meet new friends in the magical world, and had agreed to meet both Genn Dubois and Fleur Delacouer, and be their guests for a day each. Hermione was very happy to spend time with the older girls, who she had began to trust for advice and encouragement in her newfound relationship with Harry.

As a Christmas gift to his muggleborn friends he sent each a set of wardstones to use that would protect their family property, and allow the students themselves to practice their magic, within limits. He included very specific instructions on how to set the wards up

The week between Yule and new Years was quiet. Harry spent time working out, reading and working on his plan, vague as it was. One thing that he had added to his daily workout was the mind clearing exercises that Luna had taught them.

He decided one of these days to dedicate to the organizing of what he had to work with, to clean and sharpen his tools as it were. He wrote these things out on a several pages as he worked them through his mind.

"_So far, a fourth year Hogwarts education, which has been quite lacking in many areas.."_

he was being realistic, so he might as well be honest with himself as well.

"_I seem to have picked up a reasonably good grip on runes and what I can do with them, I have learned warding, shields, almost all the wand_ _spells that I have learned from classes."_

"_A bit of Arithmancy, so I can dissect and interpret the spells into runes.."_

"_I have made some telepathic contact with my friends, I don't know if this is legilimancy or occlumency..it might just be a matter of definition.."_

his dragon friend spoke in his mind

/don't forget me, Hairy one/

/how could I possibly forget you?/

/you might think the goats and cattle are too costly/

/not a bit, your island is more useful to me if you live there/

/and I do owe you my life, literally, so whatever cost, it's worth it/

/you amuse me/

/glad I could be of use/

"_yes, I mustn't forget I have a dragon as a friend.."_

there was a snort of derision over the mental link

" _a string of four 'uninhabited' islands in the Orkneys"_

" _a notebook full of properties and businesses that have been owned and run by the Potter family for up to six hundred years..I haven't had a chance to look at this just yet" _

"_friendship with the other three champions of the Tournament, and friends with several others of their group."_

"_I am patron of a budding runes master, she will be useful someday, over and above being a good friend."_

"_A pretty good working relationship with the Goblins and Gringotts"_

"_a sixty three foot basilisk carcass."_

"_Padfoot, as soon as I can free him again"_

"_Andy and Ted Tonks."_

"_profe..Mooney"_

"_and most important, Hermione"_

"_On the negative side of things."_

"_The Old man is doing something, trying to control me."_

_my response: daily backup of my memories, learn how to shield my mind:_

"_Snape is still a greaseball who has committed crimes against my family._

_My Response: shields and more shields, check everything for potions. make a list of what he has done and forward it to Madam Bones, for if I suddenly die or act weird."_

"_I am 'famous I am The BWL' question: who created the mythos of the BWL? Who profits?, why?"_

"_There is the Prophet who speaks daily, and never asks me anything before 'quoting' me..I have never willingly given an interview."_

_My Response: Do as Andy says and let her be my publicist, and let her take legal action against all who use my name without permission"_

"_I have taken first step and given Colin authorization as my official photo source."_

He sighed and sat back from his writing

"_How could I forget, Tom wants to kill me, by any means necessary"_

_he has some way to think himself immortal, but what? The Diary was something special, unique even, someone must know how and what that was."_

"_Everyone in the school and out are ready to turn on me in a minute. It happened in second year when they found I was a parselmouth, today I am a hero, a champion of the TWT, but tomorrow?, who knows?"_

_I thought that Ron was my friend, but I am not so sure, these days he just glares at me with anger in his eyes.. he has threatened Hermione, and I think he may be using potions somehow."_

"_Potions, that's another subject entirely. I have a unique mix of things in my blood, basilisk venom, Phoenix tears, who knows what else? _

_Madam Pomfrey has a whole shelf of custom made potions just for me.._

_I think I may need a full time personal healer before all this is over. Maybe Madam Pomfrey will retire from Hogwarts?.. must ask."_

_The Ministry is not my friend. They forced me into this bloody tournament, They are the ones who are keeping Sirius prisoner, They are the ones who put the bloody dementors around the castle last year..I wasn't even TO Hogwarts before my life was threatened last year.. Good thing Mooney taught me the Patronus."_

He threw down his pen in disgust. This line of thinking was getting quite depressing. "I need to think about good things, anything,"..." Dobby"

The elf appeared.. He looked much better than the last year, healthier, stronger, clearer in mind and eye.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Could you do me a favor an get some of my headache and sleep potions from my shelf in Madam Pomfrey's office?," Dobby turned to pop away, but stopped when Harry continued. "And some tea for you and I,

I need to talk to a friend."

Dobby nodded and popped away, returning shortly with the goods and tea.

Harry set the things on the table and sat, gesturing to the chair opposite.

Dobby flopped down and added something to his tea, sniffed it and took a sip. "Aaaahh. That's good.." Harry raised an eyebrow. "What was that?" he indicated the spice or powder that Dobby had used. "It is what you would call a spice, like you use lemon or milk..We elves like to add this to our food and tea" he handed the small tube to Harry, who opened it and sniffed, wondering what kind of spice it was.

It felt like napalm burning out his sinus passages. "AAAGHK" his eyes watered, his nose was running, he felt as if his brain was on fire..

He bent over gasping, searching for breath.

It was several minutes before he could form coherent sentences and speak..

"What in the bloody hell was that!"

Dobby sat calmly drinking his tea, looking at his small container of hell on earth. "Wizard food is so bland, needs some spicing up, I think"

"Could you get me some more of that?, It would make one awesome offensive weapon.."

"It can be had, there is some difference between this and something to be used as weapon.. This is Jolokia Pepper from Far East India, there is hotter to be had from there as well, hybrids, Mister Neville could explain, I think."

"Man, that stuff is ..wow, all I did was sniff it, what would happen if I got it on my skin.. It would probably knock even a giant down, We should test it somehow.."

"If you want, I will get you some, how much you think you need?"

"Lets start with a couple kilo, ok?"

"Next time I go out for grocery duty, ok?"

"er, ok..grocery duty?"

"yes, three times a week there is a shipment of groceries from various suppliers, we elves go and pick it up from warehouses, and bring it to Hoggywarts." (Dobby occasionally slipped with his language skills.)

"Really?, who are the usual suppliers?

"You should be aware of this one, Mr Harry., you own the major meat supplier for magical people of UK, chickens, turkeys, beef, pork, goat, They are also suppliers of animals for your dragonfriend."

"I see, I suppose I had better go through that notebook of businesses, eh?"

"It seems that you need to, yes"

"So who supplies veg and fruits?"

"Well most veg is imported, by way of magic, of course, otherwise the costs would be too high.." "The Greengrass family controls most of the Veg and greengrocers. The Bulstrode family supplies much beef and cattle to your company, Gateshead and Macnalley Wholesalers, the biggest supplier on either magical or mundane side."

"Gateshead and Macnalley?.. wonder where that name came from?"

"If I recall your father bought out several other wholesalers and created a bigger company , and used two of the names.."

"Oh, I see, more of my history I don't' know.. I better write that down, huh." He bent and wrote some notes on his lists, adding it to the third list, as the pro and con list was getting quite long.

Dobby watched as his wizard friend wrote notes. "While we're on the subject of groceries and such, who else controls what in the wizarding world?"

"The Patil Family imports many spices, it is they who I will get the Jolokia from, and many other things."

"I suppose I should talk to the various students about business things sometime, I could stand to learn something." He looked out across the fields and forest blanketed in snow, wondering how Hermione was doing, while visiting Genn and Fleur..she had also said something about skiing in the French Alps. Harry shook his head at the idea, he had seen snippets of people skiing and couldn't imagine Hermione on skis, since she hated flying.

"Dobby, I have to figure out the way to rescue someone for the second task, it's fairly soon, and I really don't have a clue, just yet."

"The task is to rescue a person in one hour or less from the bottom of the lake." Dobby spoke of this as fact. "I suspected as much, It will be either Hermione or Genn for me, and I want to get either of them out as fast as possible..any ideas?"

Dobby drank some more tea and thought. "Well you could tell water to move aside, like ancient prophet Moses." Harry was a bit stunned, the idea that a house elf, even one restored like Dobby would know of Moses. Instead of interrupting him, the wizard jotted down a few notes to talk of later. "I don't know that I could do something like that just yet, it seems like I would need to be a water elemental to even think of trying." He had read up on the various types of magic earlier in the year.

"Well, in the air, you fly like a bird, in the water you swim like a fish, no?"

"That makes sense, thank you Dobby, I appreciate your help."

"Happy to help, I have to go, Winky needs me." he popped away

Harry pulled out his sketchbook and doodled, making assorted water runes and drawing fish, making as many notes on the whole idea of the task as he could think of..

Tiring of this, he set it all aside and pulled out his mirror, the original one given to him by Sirius.. his father's mirror. He looked at the thing and thought of the conversations that his father had used it for, and the thought that he might have used it to talk to his mum.

He stood and looked out at the sun, which was moving down the sky towards the west.

Looking east towards France he wondered again, held the mirror to his face and whispered. "Hermione"

A few moments passed and the screen cleared showing Hermione's face, puffing steam out her mouth, her cheeks bright red with the cold and dark sunglasses on her nose.

A smile spread across her features "Hello 'My Harry' What are you up to today?"

He peered at her. "My Harry?" Hello Pretty lady, I am well, writing lists and thinking, where are you?"

"Well, I am here with my dear friends, Zhenn and Fleur, and we are skiing near Chamonix in the Alps." she spoke this in a French accent, almost a parody of such. "Hold on a minute." She pulled at the mirror to expand it, and turned it to face the other two witches as well. They were all three bundled up in warm parkas, knitted hats, warm gloves and dark glasses as well. The picture of the three was something that Harry would remember forever, the stem rising from their breath, their hair, Brunette, Blond and Coppery red splayed out across their shoulders.

Hermione continued in her false French accent. "I am here with my Dear Friends, You know Zhenn, and Fleur, And this little one here is Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, Ladies, I assume you all know 'My Harry'

Bonjour 'Arry, mon ami, 'ow are you, this day? The women and girl all greeted the wizard and flirted across the connection with him.

He looked in the background, and saw they were on flat land. "I thought you had to be on a mountain or hill to ski, it looks flat there."

"It is, we are cross country skiing, there are parts where we glide, there are parts where we go uphill, but it is a lovely way to see the country, We are having an incredible time, you should have come with us.."

All the ladies nodded at this one. "Maybe next year, we'll see."

They all spoke of simple things for a few moments when Genn looked up and got the attention of the others. Hermione scanned the sky and turned back to Harry. "We need to get in out of the weather, This storm coming in doesn't look good, I will call you this evening, ok? She was facing away from the women with her, and he saw an eyebrow lift from behind those dark glasses. At the same time he felt something come across the mirror connection. He nodded ever so slightly, and sent back his own feelings toward her. She bit her lip as the ladies all waved goodbye, just before the mirror blanked out he saw Fleur unfurling a velvet rope that was obviously a portkey.

Later that evening, his mirror buzzed and he snatched it up, answering it.

"Hello 'My Pretty woman' " he smirked at the statement, then his eyes focused on the image in the glass.

Hermione apparently had her mirror levitated over her pillow and she lay in bed. Her hair was splayed out across the pillow and over her shoulders like some kind of chocolate torrent. There must have been a candle or lantern off to her right, on a nightstand, because she was warmly lit from that direction, with soft shadows defining her features in a fine relief. Harry could see the top of her nightgown covering her shoulders, and as much skin showing as was seen on her yule ball dress. She had the covers pulled up to the point where he could see a hint of cleavage.

The girl in question smiled gently at him. She purred.

"Hello My Harry, I have missed you this last week, worrying about you being all alone there without me.." her quiet smile made his heart race

"umm, err." He lay back on his bed and did as she had done, placed the mirror at arms length, and holding it there with a spell.

My gods, Hermione, you're beautiful, what are you doing, letting me see you like this?" She put a pouting look on her face. "Don't you want to see me like this?" "Oh, yes, yes, indeed, I do, don't stop, please, I do want to see you.." his voice trailed off, he was stunned speechless.

The couple could feel emotions from a distance, and the just lay in their beds looking into each others eyes.

Hermione began speaking quietly.

"I met you on the train those four years ago, I had read some of the stories that were told about you, I somehow expected the boy with the name to be somehow bigger than life, powerful and confident, experienced somehow..I met you and found you to be as clueless as I was, and grasping at straws trying to find a new life." "I was a bossy little know-it-all, but you know me well enough now that it was just a facade of my uncertainty"

He quietly nodded, but said nothing. "In the intervening years, I have found you to be an honorable young man, one whose word I can trust, one whom I respect and one whom I think I can find love with."

Harry started to speak, to reply, but she stopped him.

"You saved me from the Troll, and I owe you my life for that, You saved the whole school from the basilisk and truly, every person in the school owes you a debt of gratitude if not a life debt for that fact." She looked at him with concern.

"I want you to be part of my life Harry, I want you to be with me as long as I live, but I know I cannot make that demand of you."

"But"

"Let me say my piece, please" she looked at him with a pleading look on her face.

"I have spent a few days here with Genn and Fleur and even Gabrielle, and they all speak of you as 'My Harry" as if it is a foregone conclusion.. and as they are doing that, I realize they are right, in a way, I think of you as mine, I want you as mine, I desire you..as mine"

That statement shocked Harry to his bones.

"I want you Harry, not 'The Boy Who lived" Not as Lord Potter, rich and powerful, I want You as more than my boyfriend. "I don't care if you have magic or not, I don't care if you are rich or poor, I don't care if the whole world knows you or you are anonymous, I want you." She looked shyly aside.

"This brings up a bit of a problem.. I figure you probably will respond to me in one of a couple ways.. you will be embarrassed and avoid me, because of your upbringing, and the fact you are uncomfortable with being personal with anyone..

or, you will reject me outright, truly I don't think that will happen, because deep down you are polite and a gentleman, and would not deliberately hurt my feelings.." Harry had trouble controlling his face and his mouth, but he wrestled them into submission.

"Or you and I will come to some kind of agreement as to how to proceed from here" She turned and faced him with a hopeful look on her face, clutching the sheet over her to her chest.

Harry took all this in and pondered it for a moment. He knew he had a tendency to jump before thinking and he also realized that this was probably the most important conversation he would ever have in his life..

All that running through his mind he took a breath and spoke.

Edit 2-16-10

1This is basically a re-write of Larry Niven's All the Myriad Ways. Always copy the Masters.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The Power(they do not use)

_Previously:_

"_Or you and I will come to some kind of agreement as to how to proceed from here" She turned and faced him with a hopeful look on her face, clutching the sheet over her to her chest._

_Harry took all this in and pondered it for a moment. He knew he had a tendency to jump before thinking and he also realized that this was probably the most important conversation he would ever have in his life.._

_All that running through his mind he took a breath and spoke._

Chapter 7

Harry took a deep breath and spoke.

"Let me start by saying this, I will never reject you, never run from you, never do anything to deliberately hurt you.."

He paused to gather the words.

"Hermione..From the first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were special, at the time I didn't understand how to describe what that meant, but I knew in that instant, that I wanted to be your friend and confidant."

"In the four years since, I've grown, and hopefully matured, I have met and dealt with a lot of people and a lot of situations, and in all of it, in every circumstance, you have been there for me, you have supported me and you have given me your trust and love...yes, love." "I am not so clueless to not recognize something when I see it, and there can only be one response to the trust and love and support you have shown me."

"Hermione Jane Granger, I love you with everything I am, with my life, my magic, with all my worldly goods..I am selfish enough to want you, in every and any way you will let me into your life, and in return, I will give you everything I am without any limits."

"To me, your mind is a treasure, your wit and intelligence are to be held in the highest regard, and in my eyes you are a truly beautiful woman, lovely to behold and that's what I really want to be doing, to be..holding you"

His lip quirked at the pun as a smile grew across her face. He continued. "Once I get free of all the people trying to control me, kill me or make money on my back, I want to spend the rest of my life doing one thing, that is, making you happy and fulfilling your dreams." he looked into her eyes. Hermione, will you let me do that for you?, will you let me fulfill your dreams, let me hold you close, let me kiss you and love you like you deserve?..please?"

The girl in question lay on her pillow in France, tears running from her eyes as pure joy flowed through her heart.

"Yes, yes yes..I want to be there for you my love, I will do everything in my power to give you what you want and need, I know your heart;s desire is to have a true family, and I will do everything I can to make that dream come true.. yes Harry, you can fulfill my dreams and wishes, because my dreams and wishes are to make yours come true as well."

The young man in Scotland was relieved, he finally returned to breathing as she answered.

"Harry James Potter I give you my heart, my mind, my soul and my body in this life and the next."

There was no glowing light, no bonding of souls, no magical binding of the two teens, but there was the start of a lifelong relationship right there. The entirety of the bonds between the two were based on their love, friendship and respect.

The newfound telepathic connection they had made during the Yule ball was based on their communication with Shala, and the natural exercise of the gift made it come to fruition.

They spent the next hour whispering love to each other, blocking out the rest of the world and it's troubles. Their next meeting in the flesh would be a memory forever.

Two days after his midnight conversation with Hermione Harry decided to get Sirius out of the Ministry's grip.

He sent a message to Rita and asked her to meet him at the three Broomsticks, and she agreed to it. Andy was to be there also, as his solicitor and publicist. Andromeda Tonks showed up, she looked tired and worried, she had been working at a rapid pace trying to cover everything, everywhere.. but the Potter Holdings were so extensive it was becoming overwhelming.

Harry and Andy and Ted Tonks were sitting quietly at a back room table, waiting for Rita to show up.

"You two look beat, what's going on, are you ok?" Ted Tonks answered first. "You have so much work that needs done, Harry, we have to deal with fourteen years of neglect and back taxes and all the things needed to run your businesses, plus the things that we need to do just to stay even, let alone get ahead..I'm afraid that we will slip and miss out on something, Andy hasn't slept properly in months, and I'm almost about to drop.."

Harry looked at the two whom he trusted with all his business. "OK, here's what we are going to do." "The Potter Holdings have been running on automatic for fourteen years. Stop with messing about with those except for the most essential, and only then if it is something that will help the bad guys.. The only priority right now is Sirius and getting him free." I want you to publish every proof and transcript we have in every magical publication in the UK and Europa, and have the public put pressure on the Ministry's lack of action..embarrass them into action."

"The DEs have a habit of bribing people to get out of their problems, make those public, as discreetly as possible, take the people out of power who are stopping Sirius getting free." "If I have to I will challenge Crouch to a duel or something..what can we get on him, is what I want to know."

"The second thing I want you to do, is stop doing it all yourselves, delegate some work, hire the people you need to do the jobs that need done, surely you don't have to do it all yourselves, in spite of the traditions of the wizarding world..start treating Potter Holdings like a corporation, be the CEO at the top of the management team, let other people do your bidding, and just approve or deny actions."

"Hire the muggleborn who are disaffected from the wizarding world because of pureblood bigotry and nepotism.. hire squibs or muggles who are related to magicals, not everyone has to be a wizard or witch to do the work, right?" the couple nodded, realizing they had been too close to the forest to see the trees.

"Hire some good people and get them under oath to do what's best for all of us, and schedule some time off for the both of yourselves, you are no good to anyone if you are worn out and sick from the pressure."

He pondered for a minute. "Do we have any evidence or suspicion of people who are guilty of bribery or other crimes?

Both Ted and Andy nodded.

"Good, here's what I want. See Mooney and we're going to set up a private Auror force..of Lycans."

The couple was shocked at this.

"Don't be surprised at this, We are in control of billions of galleons of property and businesses, we need a security force to protect it.. there are a lot of Lycan people out there who cannot find work because of bigotry, who better to track and find criminals than Lycans?, who has the endurance and stamina to do some of the things that need done?, who would be more loyal than a bunch of people whose life you change for the better?"

"I will contact Mooney right after this meeting..

Oh, Hello Rita, Welcome, have a seat."

The woman in question had just entered the room in an awkward position, there was an anti-animagus ward over the door, They knew her secret and planned ahead. She had flown into the door, seeking private information and when she crossed the barrier, she was knocked out of her bug form into human form. Harry had greeted her as she found herself sprawled on the floor.

Harry took the initiative as the frazzled woman tried to make herself presentable. She sat and was about to pull out her notepad and quill, a proper dictation quill this time, she had learned her lesson.

Harry pulled a dossier out of a large folding file and began to read.

"Amorita Amelia Sketersen, Born June 8, 1946, to Einar and Marie Sketersen of Nord Långö , Sweden ,

Graduated from Svenska Magiskolan in 1964, here is a copy of the GETs (Grundexamen i trollkonst) "

"Attempted writing of novels for three years, but found no publishers."

"1969:"

"Worked in the softcore porn industry with actress Uschi Digard, best known for her roles in Russ Meyer films."

" Hmmm..'acted' is seventy one films with titles such as Little Oral Annie, Anal Freakshow, and Hardcore Honeypot" He turned a page and riffled through some photographs.

"In 1972, left the Porn film industry to attempt writing again, this time doing shot pieces for scandal sheets, under the name Annie Ass-en, telling of various actors and celebrity sexual shenanigans, That year also wrote a series of sex novels under the name of 'Annie Oral', which are still selling today, Volume 38 due out in March." he frowned and continued. "translated into seven languages.."

He looked up at the shocked woman.

"Need I go on through the 80's?"

she slowly shook her head in the negative.

He inserted the paper he was reading into the dossier, complete with color pictures and tossed it across the table to her.

"work with us and this will never be known by anyone, at least, not from us." "Work against us, and every magical person in the UK and Europa will know your complete biography and your status as an illegal animagus." he leaned back and crossed his arms. "We can make you known worldwide if you want, under whatever name you want..even your birth name.. We have had professional editors read your first attempts at novels and find that they had promise, the problem you had, was that the editor you brought them to was looking to get in your knickers.. if you had gone to another publisher, you might have had a different career." Rita was still aghast at the facts that had been revealed.

Harry continued.

"By the way, your mother says hello, and why don't you write?"

The meeting went on and Rita kept an eye on a folding file that had many folders in it, and she squeaked out a question. "are all those dossiers...?

Harry looked to Andy and Ted. They nodded. He pulled it to himself, flipped through the lot and pulled out a few. "These are the files pertaining to the Sirius Black case, here is Peter Pettigrew, Barty Crouch Sr., Tom Riddle, AKA Voldemort, Severus Snape.. that's enough for now..We want you to release the Black files in toto, and peruse the rest for background information. Also release the entire interrogation of Pettigrew, as recorded by the Ministry's interrogators."

"Here also is a statement by Director Bones of the DMLE stating her desire to release Black immediately, since she has evidence he is innocent of any wrongdoing, and her list of those who are pushing back in the Wizengamot, barring her from releasing him."

"These files are the background we have on those Wizengamot members and several of the bribes they have taken, their associations, etc."

He gave her a smile. "Isn't it fun to make big, scandalous headlines with truth rather than lies?

She agreed to put together an article and distribute it to all the UK and European publications, and they were heading out the door, when Harry stopped her.

"You know that there is now a ban on any published photographs of me that have not been approved, so let me get Colin here to shoot a couple pictures for your articles, ok?" She was happy for that, because the deal was she couldn't bring Bozo with her to the interview, she would have to be happy with what she could get.

Colin set them up in front of the Three Broomsticks, with the pub's sign in plain view, Rita and Harry stood side by side, Harry grinned and put his arm around Rita, his hand on her waist, and just as Colin clicked his shutter, his hand slipped down and pinched her right butt cheek, making her jump. He hastily said his goodbyes and she found herself standing on the street in Hogsmeade, her head spinning and a front page story in her notes.

"Mooney"

Remus John Lupin groaned and rolled over, he was still stiff and sore from the previous nights transformation. He shook his head and stretched, assorted bones and joints creaking and cracking.

"Mooney"

He picked up the mirror and activated it. "G'morning Harry, what d'you need?" He wasn't quite awake yet.

"Your investigative skills paid off, Rita, I mean Annie Oral, didn't know what hit her, so good job on that one.. what I want?, I want you to wake up and get over here to Hogwarts, have lunch with me and sit with me in an interview with Professor McGonnegal.."

"What?, why?"

"I have my reasons, I need someone who is objective and cannot be obliviated easily, plus I have a new business to start, and I want you to run it for me."

"Obliviate?, Business?"

"Oh, all right, give me an hour to wake up and get dressed, I will see you at the gate."

"I'll be waiting"

they signed off.

He took a shower and got dressed, had a cuppa and stepped out of his cottage to apparate away.

Harry had been out with his Firebolt flying around the grounds, swooping and leaving rooster-tails of snow as he skimmed the surface at excessively high speeds. Colin took advantage of the situation to get some pictures for his ongoing albums. Mooney appeared at the gate of the school, which stood open during the day.

Harry arrived at the gate within seconds and the two of them flew up the hill together, avoiding the climb in the snow.

They entered the front doors of the castle and kicked off what snow they had on themselves and Argus Filch stood nearby and frowned.

Harry shrunk his broom and put it in his pouch. He took out his wand and started to do a spell, when Filch jumped out "No magic in the corridors"

Harry turned to the caretaker. "I was just going to clean up our mess, ok?" He didn't wait for an answer and vanished the snow and puddles and the assorted mud tracked in by others, leaving the whole entryway spotless and dry.

He was about to walk away, and turned and looked at the entry door jambs and woodwork. He stepped back out and looked at the stonework outside the entry.

"Hey Mooney, whattya think, a scourgify rune here, here and here on the doorway, it would eliminate people tracking mud in, no?" He indicated a few spots on the stonework. Filch stood by watching. Mooney considered. "I think you need to tie it in with a water rune, otherwise you might damage someone's shoe or foot."

"OK, a water detection rune, that will identify if there is mud or water or snow coming across the threshold, tie it to a scourgify, angled down so it is no higher than six inches, in most cases that should eliminate the tracking in of mud, water, and snow." He turned to Filch. "Would that help you keep this area cleaner, it should eliminate at least 90 percent of whatever people track in.. what do you think, Mr Filch, it might make your job easier?"

Filch was stunned, not one of these students ever showed him respect, or asked his opinion. "Dunno, I can't do magic, so I can't make it work." he was quite gruff.

"You don't have to do magic, I will set it up so it is self powered, it will draw magic from the castle, and every person who goes by, no one will ever feel a thing. In fact, I could make you some of these to put on any doorway that you think people might track dirt out of, say, the greenhouses or Myrtle's bathroom." Filch grunted in surprise. "That would be a good idea, there's always water standing in that corridor.." "I'll get these done in the next few days, Mr Filch, if you think of any other places that need it, let me know, I'll be glad to make something up." The old man looked suspiciously at the young wizard.

"You're not trying to trick me are you, your father and this one used to do that, you know.."

"Actually, I don't know, Mr Filch, everyone tells me I look like my father, but no one ever tells me anything about him other than he liked to prank people..I have found out more about my parents from House Elves than people."

"Come to my office some time, I'll tell you some.. lets see if this works." Filch shuffled off, followed by Mrs Norris. Harry watched thoughtfully as the couple walked away.

"I'll have to put in an animal exclusion clause to the sequence, a scourgify powerful to clean feet and boots would hurt an animal."

"An animal detection ward, or a human detection ward..if it's human, it works, if not, it doesn't."

Harry looked to Mooney as they walked toward the Great Hall for lunch.

"Define Human"

"Ah, there, you got me..what might work for you and me, might not work for Professor Flitwick, or Hagrid.."

They sat down to the lunch table and enjoyed themselves, discussing all manner of things, before the appointment with McGonnegal in her office.

* * *

"So, Mr Potter, why have you asked for this interview, and why is Mr Lupin here? McGonnegal sat behind her desk, with her fingers threaded together in front of her. It was a pose that students had feared and fretted about for more than fifty years.

"Parvati Patil has been obliviated by someone before the  
Yule Ball. She does not remember Ron Weasley asking her to go to the ball with him, nor does she recall getting dressed for said ball. She is worried that she has been sexually assaulted, or otherwise taken

advantage of."

Harry left out the part about Parvati going to see Madam Pomfrey and getting checked out, finding she was still virginal and had not been obviously assaulted, other than her mind.

McGonnegal took off her glasses and laid them on the desk.

"Why is Miss Patil not here on her own, I know she is in the castle at the moment."

"Because she doesn't trust anyone right now other than myself, not you, not the Headmaster, not the prefects, just me."

"That sounds somewhat suspicious, Mr Potter.. a young lady who only trusts a boy in her same year..the first thing the Aurors would do is check her for compulsion charms and potions." "True, but I swore an oath to her that I would protect her and her sister, not as Harry Potter, but as Lord Potter" He held up his right hand and let her see his Head of House ring. "My honor demands that I respect and protect her."

"When did you take up the Headship of your fathers house.?"

"Does that matter?, Your Ministry wants to force me to participate in a Tournament that is specifically for people Of Age, Seventeen or older. The Old Man and the Ministry's flunkies insisted that I participate. Therefore I am recognized as an adult." He smirked."You can't have it both ways, you know.."

"I see. Well, then, as an adult, I suppose I must let you know what happened, I think I should tell Miss Patil as well, shall I call her?"

"No need, I'll get her. Parvati?, Lavender?" he looked as if he was speaking to the air, or calling a house elf. A knock at the door, and McGonnegal waved it open. There stood Parvati, Lavender, and Padma, waiting to be invited in. Lavender was slipping something into her pocket.

"Why are Miss Brown and Miss  
Patil here as well, Mr Potter, and How did you call them?"

"Miss Brown has had a compulsion on her for at least a year, set by someone, as a spy, in fact for someone to use her as a spy watching myself. I am offering the protection of the House of Potter to Lavender as well. As to how I called them, I have my ways."

Harry rose and offered his seat to the three girls, They stepped in and sat, saying nothing.

"How do you know that Miss Brown has a compulsion on her, or did you say 'had'..and if so, how was it removed?"

Harry stood behind the girls and put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Again, I have my ways, That doesn't matter right now. Please tell us what you know, and then we will decide how much we can tell you."

Minerva McGonnegal didn't like to bargain with students, but this was a situation where she didn't have a choice. She had to have the trust and respect of her students.. or fear and respect..one or the other.

"The Headmaster wanted to be sure Mr Weasley had a date to the ball, I do not know his reasons why, but from your tone of voice and the lack of respect you showed the Headmaster, you have some clue as to what is going on."

She looked at the girls.

"I would not permit him to obliviate you as much as he would have liked, so I stayed with him the whole time he was there and supervised.

"He cast a compulsion to have you go to the ball with Mr Weasley, and to get yourself dressed in an appropriate manner." "I knew that the dress and accessories that you wore were not correct, but I let it go, hoping you would realize that something was wrong, apparently you did. For this, I am glad, I wish I could have done something about it, but I was powerless, so I did the best I could under the circumstances."

"Miss Brown, do you have the compulsion still on you, or has it been removed?"

Lavender spoke."Harry found it and removed it, I owe him, and I will back him up in anything he asks me."

McGonnegal looked between the two and asked. "Are you two in some kind of relationship?"

"No, other than friends and housemates, no." Lavender answered this, Harry didn't speak.

McG turned to Lupin. "Why are you here?"

He decided to answer honestly. "I'm a lycan, I cannot be obliviated, and it would take someone with quite a bit of power to take me down, as you well know." Minerva had seen Mooney in combat training.

"Very well. Well, Mr Potter, what are we going to do about this situation?" "I want to know, whose side are you on, Mine?, Dumbledore?, The Ministry?"

Minerva leaned back and covered her eyes with her hand, as if she felt a bad headache coming on.

She sat up straight and looked Harry in the eyes.

"My first loyalty is to Hogwarts and her students..I have been fighting the Ministry for years about many things and I have very little respect for those old fools."

"I have sworn oaths to various people in the fight against evil and I cannot speak of them, so, at present I shall not"

Harry, seeing into her eyes saw the truth of those statements.

He skimmed the surface of her mind and found evidence of several compulsions and the threads of something leading off to somewhere..

in his quick surveillance he noticed multiple obliviations and pulled out.

"You have compulsions on your thoughts and mind."

"What?..How?"

"I have my ways."

"You are not a legilimens, I didn't feel anything..I have my shields up.."

"so you know occlumency?"

"Of course, it's an essential tool in being a teacher, and administrator at my level.. it was part of my Mastery"

"I don't use those skills, as I said, I have my secrets."

"What kind of compulsions?"

"I don't know, I didn't slow down to look."

"Can you remove them?"

"I did for these ladies"

"Please do so."

"Before I do, I promise that anything I see, I will not speak of without your permission" He held up his right fist and she saw the glow around his ring.

"Proceed"

Harry dived in, scanned and found the most recent. Examined it and did as he had done before, drained the magic out of it, and banished the debris left behind. He moved to the next, and repeated the process. Six more times and every compulsion he found was gone. He scanned again and found the scarring left behind where there had been something, an old curse or obliviation or something.. He didn't know what to do with it and just laid a mild healing charm on it. He looked about for gaps where memories had been obscured, and set the warmth of a magical sun into those areas and thought about how he had been taught in Herbology, loosen up the soil and fertilize and water the plant, and possibly you could bring it back. While he was at it, he did more of the healing charms where he could. He watched as the withered dendrites slowly became more flexible and filled out. Satisfied, he did one more all over scan and withdrew.

"Remember anything new, or old?"

"I seem to be regaining some memories, whatever you did, I think it's helping."

"Good, I want to go again after I do some research on oaths and links.." he pointed to the scar on his own forehead."

* * *

That evening, the express arrived and the school was flooded with students returning from holiday.

Harry stood by the front entrance watching the students unload from the carriages and enter the front hall. It was a dual task, he was waiting for Hermione to arrive, but he was also monitoring his new door runes as they cleaned the feet of all the entering students. A few pets crossed the threshold and the runes properly ignored the creatures.

"So, Mr Filch, what do you think?" The old caretaker stood nearby watching the throng enter, Mrs Norris cradled in his arms. He growled."It seems quite a bit better, Potter, usually there would be a trail of mud in here, up the steps and halfway to the Great Hall. Better. Thank you."

"You're welcome, but I think with one small addition we could probably eliminate it entirely."

"What?, How?"Harry stepped outside the entrance, indicating the old man should follow him. They stood watching the area where the carriages were pulling up. The entire area was a sea of mud, that extended all the way back to Hogsmeade station, and the town itself.

"Why is this the only area within several miles that is unpaved?.. if it were paved, that would eliminate the entire muddy situation."

The old man nodded in agreement. "The reason it is not paved was because a disagreement between the headmaster at the time and the local turnpike trust..its in the files somewhere."

Harry looked at the old man with a question in his mind, but the last of the carriages was pulling up and he could sense Hermione's presence.

"Mr Filch, I have to go, but I would like to talk to you sometime on this and see what we can figure out, that is, if you have the time?"

"that'll do, Potter, go, she's getting out." he indicated the carriage.

Harry turned to see Hermione stepping out of the carriage, not wanting to step into the mud. "Hermione, hold up" Quickly unshrinking his broom and was at her side in a trice. "Your ride awaits, my lady"

She gamely held on to the carriage and swung a leg over his broom and settled in front of him before letting go. Her body was stiff, her hands holding tightly.

"Loosen up, sweet, I won't let you fall.. c'mon.." he nuzzled the back of her neck and with one arm drew her in tightly to his chest, all the while whispering in her ear. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to know how high they were, and he could feel that across the growing link.

She was no longer afraid of flying, but she could feel his excitement and desire to really fly. She was still new at it, and was worried he might od something reckless.

He kept one arm snugly around her torso, and she savored the full body contact, even if it was her back. "Open your eyes, Sweet." She cracked them open and was shocked that they were no more than ten feet above the ground and moving slowly. She had expected he would fly them up to the tops of the towers. His whole purpose was to avoid the mud, and to hold her.

They landed gently on the grass, beside the main door.. the last of the stragglers had gone in to the castle, and they were alone. The carriages had moved away, their duty done, as they rolled back down the hill to the stables. If either of the couple had bothered to look, they would see Hagrid taking the harness off the invisible creatures pulling the carriage.

* * *

The young wizard spirited away his girlfriend to their private place as soon as they could get away..He had spent the entire holiday up here in the hidden tower, studying and reading and working on projects. He was quite excited about showing her how far he had gotten on several levels.

Between the show and tell, they spent time curled up in front of the fire together, exploring their kissing and touching skills, and expanding their repertoire.

It took two days before Harry called a temporary hold on things.."I have to prepare for the second task, love, we need to go over the ideas I have here."

She sighed and reached for his sketchbook, for she knew that every idea was there in some form.

"Show me."

He opened to the correct pages and began the commentary. Each idea had a small drawing illustrating the idea. The first was a little man standing at the edge of the lake, and the waters parting as if it were the red sea. The note scribbled under it read "too flashy" The next was the same little man in a submarine with arms. The note for this one was "too much to do before task." the next was a variation on that theme, a swimming man being pulled by a fish, a big fish. This note said "possible" the next five drawings were variations, one with a SCUBA kit, one with a bubble-head charm, one with gillyweed, and the last picture showed the little man on an underwater broom. Beside this one was a series of arithmancy and runes written and marked out, as if he had spent a lot of time thinking about it.

Hermione asked questions about the different ideas and they discussed them from several angles, and between them they decided on a combination..Harry was pretty good with transfiguration, and they discussed the possibilities of transfiguring a large fish, Harry dug around in his pile of materials and found an appropriate piece of wood, and carved out a fish, tied a piece of string though it's mouth and carved a series of runes on its fins and belly.

He laid it on the floor and pushed some magic toward it with his wand, and it grew to be several feet long with a thick rope trailing out of it's mouth. Another silent spell and the fish was animated, swimming through the air as if it were water. Harry took the rope in hand and pulled on it this way and that, and he was physically dragged around the room as the couple laughed. Finally they shrunk the fish back to it's carved size and while they were talking out the rest, he worked on the thing, refining the form and making it pretty as well as functional.

In the end, they decided to learn the bubble-head charm, and have some gillyweed on hand,as a backup in case of a failure of the charm. Between the towfish and the charm , they figured they had a good chance of winning the event. "What about the water, it's sure to be freezing, the task is in February, after all." "will warming charms work underwater?" It took a few days, but they came up with the magical equivalent to a wetsuit, using a silk body stocking and the warm water charms that the castle showers used.. The water came in through a scoop under Harry's chin and was warmed by the inscribed runes to 37C, and circulated through the suit, being expelled from his toes.. that way no part of his body would drop below a comfortable temperature.

The only problem was that he couldn't wear anything over it, so while wearing the suit, he was virtually naked, just about everything was visible.

The final design was that he would have a harness slung over his shoulder with his wand and tools in it, knife, extra gillyweed and a shrunken cloak to throw over himself when he came out of the water.

They slipped down through the portal where they had come in on the boats before their sorting and Harry tested out the equipment. The suit worked fairly well, but both teens were blushing when he crawled up onto the ledge.. the water made the skintightness very much so.

Much practice in creating the bubble-head, silently and quickly, practice in activating his towfish silently as well, that was done with runes on the towrope, so the thing wouldn't swim away if he lost his grip..Two days before the second task, they went down to the lake one last time, and Harry took his tools for a final test run, going out into the lake, and doing some time runs from point to point, estimation how far they would have to go to do the job..

He passed under the Durmstrang Ship a few times and did a small bit of snooping.. He saw Viktor jumping into the water and turning into a man-shark, and hustled out of sight as quickly as possible. He also saw Fleur practicing once, wearing a light blue bodysuit.

During he time they were working on the fish and other projects, Hermione told of the time she had in France, the kindness and friendship of the two women they had become friends with. Genn lived with her mother, and they had a lovely flat in Paris. Her father had been killed in the line of duty several years before, as he had been an Auror. Genns' mother worked as a warding specialist for the French Magical Ministry, and had a fair income, but not enough to support her daughter in her quest as a runes master.

The gift that she was given by Harry's patronage was like a miracle from the gods, Evangeline Dubois was stunned when she had heard of her daughter's good fortune, and was asking for someone to arrange a meeting between herself and her daughter's patron. Harry had agreed to it when it was found that Genn was to be Harry's hostage for the second task. It was scheduled for the next day after the task, And Harry was looking forward to it as he had questions to ask Mrs Dubois concerning wards and uses of runes and wards in that field.

Bill Weasley got wind of the impending conversation from the twins, and he was at the school visiting for the weekend, he inquired into the possibility of meeting Mrs Dubois also, since she was a minor celebrity in the warding field. Once this was all arranged, Harry had a smirk on his face as he sent Hedwig on a special mission to deliver an invitation to a friend of his.

The day of the task was at hand. The wards on Hermione's room had triggered shortly after midnight and the tracking charm they had constructed activated. Harry sat up watching the cluster of dots on his map go from Hermione's dorm to the infirmary and then the cluster broke up, leaving Hermione in an infirmary bed, with Genn next to her, Cho next to her and Gabrielle on the end. He looked at the dots on the map and wondered how they had gotten permission to use the eight year old girl as a hostage, had they gotten permission, and if so, whose.. it didn't seem right to just take someone and put them at risk.

He sat for a long time and looked at the dots, wondering.

The morning was cold, biting cold and the spectators were gathering for the event. The four champions were huddled together, wearing great robes to keep them warm, and they were talking amongst themselves.

"I don't see how this is going to be interesting for the spectators, watching a half frozen lake in February seems kinda dumb to me.."

Harry spoke this thought. The others shrugged, "That's the way it is, most magical peoples have their quirks, The English seem to be lacking a certain..something, I think? Fleur put this forth. Cedric grinned. "Miss Delacouer, what are you saying, that my countrymen are not quite right in their minds?, how could you think that?" he spoke with mock incredulity. "I mean, the whole concept of staring at dark water for an hour, it's it's just brilliant!"

He held off his snort of laughter for almost two whole seconds..

They all laughed, and Viktor dourly spoke. "My own people, I think might take themselves a bit too..seriously" he nodded his head back and forth as he rolled his eyes, not letting his Headmaster hear him speak.

There was noise behind them indicating something happening.."Before we start, guys?" he winked at Fleur. "At two tomorrow, I am hosting a lunch with Genn's mum, in a private hall, bring your mates, bring your friends, it will be private away from the press, just us, ok?"

The Champions agreed, and before they split up, he added. "I have invited a very special guest, you won't want to miss it...Good luck everyone" they all waved and went to their designated spots.

Cedric went first, followed by Harry, Viktor and Fleur. Each Champion set on about their method. Harry pulled up his hood and activated the water heating runes and set a bubble-head in place, and to the view of the Spectators, he swam out and down.

The last thing he did before starting off was to activate his mirror, which was on feeding to every single mirror he and Hermione had created.. there were a great many people watching the live feed from Harry, and many of the spectators crowded around the holders.

Once he was out of sight, he deployed his fish. The suits' water heating runes worked perfectly, and Harry could feel the warm water flowing along the inner surface of the material. The fish pulled him along effortlessly through the water. He watched his tracking charm which pointed towards the center of the lake. He skimmed about ten feet below the surface of the water, avoiding the bottom dwellers and any tangleweed or problems. Once he was at the center, he went straight down and in very short order was there with the four hostages who were tethered to the bottom by ropes fastened to their ankles.

Hermione's robes billowed out as did her hair, he circled her, drinking

in her beauty. He tried to link to her consciousness, but couldn't get anything useful. He circled around Cho and Gabrielle, and finally Genn. Genn was wearing a pure white robe, and under it a skinsuit similar to his, although it only had a warming charm on it. Harry had insisted that Hermione have one also, not knowing exactly what was going to happen, or if he trusted the people running the stupid Tournament.

The mermen moved around, cautiously to make sure that Harry took the correct hostage, he indicated that he was just looking, and he understood them a little, they had an odd singing like voice, it was not in a language he understood, but he did understand it, it was a side effect of messing about with Shala's training and communication with telepathy.

::take yours only::

::I understand::

::you speak?::

::some..little::

::come visit?::

::I will..are they safe?::

::yes, we will protect::

::I come back later::

::yes::

Harry cut Genn free and started to move away when he saw Viktor swimming in his shark persona, and Cedric somewhat farther away, but coming.. He set his towfish in motion and went towards the stands and the finish of the event. Genn, he slung a strap under her arms and across her back, and he had the other over his shoulder. He skimmed across the bottom, keeping an eye out for Fleur. He took Genn up to the surface and lifted her up onto the platform. The girl was awoken and taken into see Madam Pomfrey to be dried out and checked over.

He yelled to the judges "Fleur is in trouble, I can't find her" He didn't wait for an answer and dove back into the water, following a point me. Several minutes later he found Fleur, tangled in a mess of strangler vine. She was moving sluggishly , as her suit had been penetrated by several of the poisonous spines. He cut her free, and swiftly moved to get her to the surface. She was barely conscious, and he had to recast the bubble-head around her before they even left the floor of the lake.

He handed the young woman up to the waiting hands and flipped back to retrieve Gabrielle. He came to the Mermen's area and the young girl was all alone.

::I have come to retrieve the girl::

::you cannot, you have taken yours::

::Her person was injured::

::we were told to stop you::

::I am here now I am taking her::

::as you wish::

He cut the bindings and retrieved the small girl.. he was beginning to feel tired. With one last heave he brought her to the surface and then heaved himself back to the deck. He lay there, worn to the bone, but happy he had survived the event.

He felt hands lift him and dry him off, and wrap him in a warm blanket. He felt the mental warmth of his girlfriend nearby, worrying over him. He sent a warm embrace back over the same connection.

Colin was ecstatic, he had figured out how to photograph the mirrors and was waiting back at the castle with a series of pictures to be approved for sale.. these would end up being the only known pictures of the underwater event, and this, quite valuable.

They had found that the mental connection was a product of the little dragon from the first task, as long as he had it with him, he could send some limited mental messages to Hermione, but no one else.. they had tried putting the small dragon oh Hermione's shoulder and she had tried to contact Shala, tried to contact Harry, and nothing happened. It was something they they would have to explore later,

The judges had tallied their points and posted them.

Viktor was first at 37 minutes

Cedric was second with 41 minutes

Fleur was DNF because she did not bring her hostage back,

Harry was last because he took 59 minutes.

When various people protested the judgment was left standing, because he had not gotten out of the water when he had brought Genn up. Therefore his portion of the task was not finished. Many people were angry about this,especially at the Headmaster, because he was seen as not supporting his own student. Cedric threatened to go to the Wizengamot about it, or at least ask his father to do so on Harry's behalf,

He gathered in the other champions and their hostages. "Please don't, it's just more of Dumbledore's games, He's trying to control me, somehow."

"Just let it be, please" he sighed. "I got what I wanted out of it, I survived, and didn't make too big of an arse out of myself."

with that, he picked up his gear and left, heading back to the Castle, flanked by Hermione, Neville, Ginny and Luna.

* * *

That evening he was in his tower with his friends, discussing things, he quashed any and all complaining that 'his victory' was stolen..

"I was forced into this stupid Tournament by the old man, and I am just using it to take advantage of the situation.. I mean, I finagled a full time pass to the restricted section from the Moody guy, I am learning more magic from him this year than the last three together.." He sighed and slumped in his couch, pulling Hermione close. "I am playing to survive, not to win." he waved around, indicating the tower."I am sure that the old man knows that I am using this tower, I probably couldn't get away with that any other year.. you guys are enjoying the use of the potions lab, right?"

The twins nodded. They were in heaven. Harry had hired their services at learning potions properly, as well as many projects he had in the works. They didn't realize it but he was trying to wean them off pranking fulltime and do something constructive as well as profitable.

Their current project for Harry was figuring out how to 'store magic' He had explained to them how an automobile worked, that you had to put 'fuel' into it to keep it running, he wanted to create some things that he could set in motion and ignore, that is, not keep supplying magic to the thing.. it was all fine and good to add power runes to something,but the power runes worked slowly.. they were ideal for long term things like wards and cleaning enchantments, that kind of thing. High energy things, like animated animals or statues needed more magic quickly to work.

Harry nodded as they were talking and rose, wandering around his 'shop' looking for something. He found it, an old butterbeer bottle. He transformed it into a half dozen glass discs, and put a silver knut on the pile of discs.. another bit of magic and there were half a dozen silvery mirrors two inches in diameter. No one said anything, they kept their conversation and time together pleasant, eating and drinking, but everyone kept a quiet eye on the dark haired wizard.

He dug around some more and found a rod, a wood rod about three feet long as thick as his thumb. He cut it into three pieces and set them on the bench. He took a disc mirror and fastened it to the face of the rod, actually made the wood flow out and grasp it on the tip like a claw or something.

"What are you doing Harry?" Hermione had gotten off the couch and came up behind him. She hugged him from behind, looking curiously at his work.

"Could you get me a book, sweet?"

"Sure, which one?"

"A bug book, one with pictures of flying bugs in it.. bees, flies, dragonflies, that kind of thing.."

She nodded in assent and went to his trunk which was always open to the book section. She scanned through several shelves, until she found the necessary books. Laying them on the bench where he was working, they both flipped through the pages, until they found some nice color plates illustrating various dragonflies and other closely related things.

He continued with his crafting, but paused to pull out an older sketchbook and flipped through it to the section on mirrors.

"Here, put the first three charms on the mirror, the view, transmit and sound sequences." She set about doing this.. There were eleven sets of spells on the first pairs of magical mirrors they had been given, and they spent many hours figuring them out, and converting them into the proper runic sequences.. for a simple test subject though, casting the spells with a wand were sufficient.

Their tower workspace had evolved since the first of the year, and by now it had many of the comforts of home.. one comfort was a large mirror mounted on the wall, that could be tied into any of the small mirrors that by now, just about everyone carried.

Harry was working on some fragile looking wings and a very complex joint where the four wings tied together..Hermione finished the charming of the mirrors and was poking the stick here and there, using the mirror end as a pointer..she looked into the mirror and the large wall mirror showed a distorted brown eye looking back at them..Someone took it from her and was poking it various rude places while everyone was giggling and having fun.

Harry, noticing the laughter, looked up from his project and grinned at the antics. This was what he wanted, friends and family, a place to be.

He finally finished and took one of the bodies and fastened the wing assembly to what looked like an appropriate place .

He took some wire bits and bent them into legs and inscribed the joints with the appropriate runes, the same ones he had used to make a prototype spider. Finally he added a set of controls that led back to a handheld box. He was familiar with Dudley's attempts to fly a remote control airplane, as he was the one who had to retrieve it countless times when his cousin had crashed it. The remains of the plane now resided in the smallest bedroom, and on some boring nights, Harry had turned on the electronics and made the various parts move.

Mentally he had designed the dragonflies controls something like that, copying the control sequences from Luna's broomstick. It looked something like her broomstick, in fact, so when the first flight was taken, he gave her the controls and told her, "It's as close to your Darter as I could get, give it a try." Everyone watched as the blond Ravenclaw deftly controlled the

flying device. It rose from the bench and hovered, a bit shakily, lifted up above head height and circled the room. Luna was torn between watching the big mirror, which showed the viewpoint of the artifact, and watching the thing itself.. She kept up a commentary describing the feedback from the controls.

"Obviously not the same as my broom, Harry, the balance is off, but it is acceptable.. the response is a bit sloppy when I do this, or this, but I think it can be fine tuned..I want you to build me some of these, but we need to improve the eyes, Daddy and I will love to use them for our creature hunts.." "We need to create a better way to control this, the mirror is no help, really, unless you have a wider field of vision.."she went on at length, explaining the need for binocular or more vision.. Harry had a dictation quill taking all this down, and everything was helpful in building the device.

The friends were rapt, watching the girl maneuver the device around the room, and had fun with the one eyed visual feed.

Just watching the big mirror could be disorienting, but everyone could tell it had potential.

Hermione had made a huge contribution to their education, Based on the CopyRight charm that Sirius and Mooney had sent them. The idea was a recording variant of Specialis Revelio. An example of this was seen when Harry had examined Luna's broom, the Venhull Darter.

He laid a large sheet of parchment on his work table and cast the charm, along with the proper modifiers, which allowed recording.

The charm 'looked' at the broom, and it then made a perfect line drawing of the artifact, along with a complete listing of every spell, charm, rune and enchantment on the object. It also showed the alignment of the different magics, as well. When he was done with the sequence of diagnostic charms, he had a large, well rendered picture of the object, along with the magical breakdown of every part. The interesting bit that it was completely inert, and would not affect the scanned object in any way..this allowed some rather volatile things to be scanned.

There were problems with this bit of magic, though, Hermione had described it as working with computer coding, you could have ten thousand lines of code in a program, and if one line is wrong, the whole thing might or might not work.

Late that night the young couple were in their beds, talking quietly with their mirrors.

"Whats bothering you,my sweet?" Hermione's face showed worry at the pain Harry was showing. He thought about it for a moment, trying to come up with the words.. "It's just that, I'm only fourteen, Love, I should not have to do all the thinking and planning..It's like once you have entered the wizarding world, you check your brain at the door.. no one uses any common sense or logic." We need to do something, I know that, but why does it have to be us?, why me?.. who is responsible for putting this target on my back?. Who made this whole 'boy-who-lived myth and tied it to me?." he rolled his eyes.

"We both know that one, but the question is why?" anger crossed his face.. "Who is writing all those books about me and who is making money off them?

Instead of answering his questions, Hermione just looked sad. " I wish there was an easy answer to that one sweetie, but I don't know what it is, I'm sorry." Harry continued on. "Andy and Ted Tonks, they are wonderful people, Ted is muggleborn, but I think he forgot that somewhere along the way.. he was trying to run the entire Potter Holdings by himself, that's just not possible, even with a time turner.."

"So what did you tell him..them?"

"I told him to stop most of it, the business has set idle or running on automatic for fifteen years, it can go one more..I want them to concentrate on getting Sirius free and clear, and to concentrate on the business of business...to hire the right people to oversee the various parts of the Holdings..and then take a vacation."

"You're a good man, Harry.."

"I don't want to be, to have to.. I want to have a life, I want to just be a 4th year student and learn and have fun with my girlfriend, why should I have to do all this, just to survive?"

"I swear, Hermione, I feel like going as far from here as I can, as far as is possible on this planet." concern and no small amount of fear crossed Hermione's face. "You stay right there, don't move" he nodded as she cut off her mirror.

She sat up and pulled on her robe and called Dobby. The elf appeared in a few seconds. "Yes, Miss Hermione?" he was whispering, since it was quite late, or early.. "Please go and get Harry's invisibility cloak." Dobby popped away and returned with the item. She slung it around her shoulders and was about to pull up the hood, when Dobby made a comment. "You know there is a tracking charm on the cloak, right?"

Her brow furrowed, as suspicion filled her mind. She pulled out her wand and did some diagnostic charms, the ones she knew, anyway, and came up with something, although she couldn't tell exactly what.

"What kind, I can't seem to find it.." "It is set by Old greybeard, so he can follow Mister Harry wherever he goes.." Hermione's concern turned to anger.

"Is it possible you can remove it?"

"Oh, yes, where shall I put it?"

she thought for a moment. "Put it on Ronald...Dumbledore should always keep track of his spy."

"It shall be done."

Dobby did some odd hand gestures and it looked as if he were pulling a rope.. an orange haze gathered on the cloak and pulled off with a silent 'plop' He popped away and returned momentarily. "It is done."

"Please look at all of my and Harry's belongings and remove any tracking or monitoring charms you find, I would very much appreciate it."

"As you wish, Miss Hermione".

Dobby moved around the girls dorm and did a few things, looked in her trunk and in the armoire that she hung her clothes in. he nodded to her and popped away. She pulled up the hood of Harry's cloak and left the room with a silencing charm on herself. She ghosted over to the boy's side of the dorms and slipped inside, She saw Dobby working through all of Harry's clothes and belongings, there seemed to be tracking and monitoring charms on virtually everything he owned. Harry sat there on the edge of his bed watching the elf going through his belongings, and was quite amazed at the number of charms placed on himself. Harry had quietly dug out a piece of warding stone that he was planning on carving, and he had Dobby attach all the tracking charms to the stone.

Finally Dobby was done, as Harry felt a body sit down on the edge of the bed beside him. A hand slipped out of nowhere and took his as he felt warm breath in his ear.

"I asked Dobby to remove any and all tracking and monitoring charms on both you and I.. what are you going to do with the stone?"

"I don't know.. throw it in the lake and disappear?..they will think I drowned and then leave me alone."

"maybe, but lets just save that one as a last resort, please?"

"Yes, dear".

"Prat".

"that's right, I am..sometimes."

"Thank you Dobby, if you find anything else, please let us know"

"I will..." Dobby seemed hesitant to leave.

"Is there something else, Dobby?"

Dobby stood there for a moment looking at Harry's face. Harry realized the elf was looking at his scar, not just looking at it, but glaring at it..

"Is there something attached to his scar, Dobby?" Hermione asked.

"Yes.. there is a thread.. it goes to where the evil one is..it can go both ways.. I cannot cut it, I do not know how.. but one of the old ones might."

"Who are the old ones?" Naturally the one with the first question was Hermione.

Dobby looked uncertain. "The old ones live in the world between..it is the place where the dead are sent..before they are gone."

The young couple pondered this statement. "Like a spirit realm or something?" Harry came up with this one first.

"Yes, between the worlds.. Miss Luna can see them.."

Realization dawned. "In between the alternate realities.. the myriad ways she was talking about.." an excited look built on his face, "Maybe if I talk to that Mr Cromwell she was talking to..he could give me a hint, help, something..." he frowned.

"If you say there's a thread from me to him.." his eyes met hers..

"Then there's a.."

"Bit of him in you.." she finished the sentence.

"I need to make an appointment with this guy as soon as possible.."

Hermione's heart skipped a bit and then she focused on the idea.

"Hold that thought, we will take it up first thing in the morning."

they turned to Dobby and thanked him for what he had done.

Dobby popped away and Hermione silently cast silencing charms on Harry's bed and pulled him in, closing and sealing the curtains.

Neville's eyes shone in the dark, and he lay there awake for more than an hour, thinking about all he had heard and seen.

Edit 2-16-10

Edit 2-19-10 for correction of Sweden locations and names.

(thank you jhautefaye )

Edit 6-5-10 fixing a few things


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The Power (they do not use)

_Previously:_

_Realization dawned. "In between the alternate realities.. the myriad ways she was talking about.." an excited look built on his face, "Maybe if I talk to that Mr Cromwell she was talking to..he could give me a hint, help, something..." he frowned. _

"_If you say there's a thread from me to him.." his eyes met hers.. _

"_Then there's a.." _

"_Bit of him in you.." she finished the sentence. _

"_I need to make an appointment with this guy as soon as possible.." _

_Hermione's heart skipped a bit and then she focused on the idea. _

_"Hold that thought, we will take it up first thing in the morning."_

_they turned to Dobby and thanked him for what he had done._

_Dobby popped away and Hermione silently cast silencing charms on Harry's bed and pulled him in, closing and sealing the curtains. _

_Neville's eyes shone in the dark, and he lay there awake for more than an hour, thinking about all he had heard and seen._

The next day, Harry had arranged for a catered dinner, using Madam Rosmerta's dining facility. She had rooms to rent upstairs for the casual traveler, a nice cafe' and bar in the front, and in the back, private rooms that could be used for meetings, dinners, receptions, all manner of things.

Rosmerta was very glad for the opportunity to do something for the latest Potter, she owed the Potters a debt of gratitude, as Charlus and Dorea Potter had set her up in business some thirty plus years before.

She had been a student at Hogwarts and when she graduated, she was working at the local pub, which at that time was named The Wyvern Inn. The owner at that time was stingy to the extreme and paid the cooks and serving girls the least he could, and it was not unusual to find 'unusual' things in your food. The owner of The Wyvern was making his money selling addictive and illegal potions out the back, so he really didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the running of the Hostelry side of things..and the place was banned to students of Hogwarts.

One night the owner, a man named Giles Greenwick , was feeling a bit randy, and decided that Rosmerta, just one year out of school was just his type, and she could have the honor of taking care of hauling his ashes..she declined the opportunity, and turned to leave, by way of the back door of the pub, and was hexed for her trouble. She suffered several hexes and curses, fought back as well as she could, but was soon beaten down, physically.

Greenwick wasn't that good at magics, and used up all his magict quickly, so he resorted to the tool of bullies in any language, he started slapping her around, and trying to force herself upon her.

Charlus and Dorea Potter were walking down the road from Hogwarts and heard Rosmerta screaming , and Charlus sprinted to the back of the pub as Dorea covered him. He popped through, after vanishing the door, and stunned and captured the criminal, leaving Rosmerta gasping for air and trying to pull herself together.

Dorea was through the door only seconds after her husband, and pulled the young woman into herself, letting her cry into her shoulder. Charlus embraced them both, but not before sending a patronus messenger to the Head of the DMLE.. and they expected aurors to arrive in the next few seconds.

Charlus and Dorea had an ongoing friendship with Rosmerta, they had worked as a team for three years, as they were all chasers on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, the Potters for their 5th through 7th year, and Rosmerta in her 3rd through 5th year.. they knew each others moves, attitudes and ways of moving.

They were quite good working together on the pitch. They were very good friends, as well as teammates.

The Aurors arrived, and took Greenwick away, charging him with assault, attempted rape, abusing a pureblood witch (the Potters were purebloods, and didn't really care about such things, but did use the laws to their advantage.)

Investigators found evidence of the illegal potions and drug sales going on, found various proscribed items stashed around the place, and charged the ex-innkeeper accordingly. The Wyvern was closed, and all the criminal evidence was hauled away, leaving holes in the walls and the place a mess. The inn itself was declared closed by the local Hogsmeade town council, and was to be sold at auction.

Charlus and Dorea made Rosmerta stay with them at one of the Potter properties to recover, as she was their friend, and wanted the best for her. She had no family left, since they were killed in the actions surrounding Grindewold, so Charlus took it upon himself to see that things were done right.

He had an agent buy the pub at auction, there were only a few bidders, so there wasn't much trouble getting the property. He and Dorea hired some contractors to refurbish the pub. He found seven house elves who were at odds looking for work, and asked them to hire on at the pub, keeping it clean and maintained and cook, Dorea made them uniforms which would have the logo of the pub once a new name was decided.

It was a Thursday in August, The Potters asked Rosmerta to go flying with them, just as they had often done while in school together. The trio had a grand day out, threading between the trees, chasing clouds and generally enjoying life.. It was early afternoon and Dorea made note that they were near Hogsmeade.

"Lets stop and get something to eat at the pub, I hear there's a new place in town"

Rosmerta looked between the two, and was supicious. "They didn't let Greenwick out, did they?" Charlus made a face.. "Oh no, he's in Azkaban for a good long time, you don't have to worry about him." he gave a grin that told her that he was up to something..

A small crowd of townies were waiting around the former Wyvern Inn, now painted with bright cheery colors, clean windows with nice curtains and new furniture and fixtures inside.

The trio landed in front of the crowd, and laid their brooms up agains the wall outside the front door.

Dorea took Rosmerta by the hand and they faced the building. "Rosie, we love you and want you to be happy, and be able to take care of yourself.. we know your family didn't leave you anything, and you have to work for a living, so we decided that we want you to have a good start..Charlus?"

The Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter pulled out a folder of paperwork, and handed it to Rosmerta. "Here is the title and deed to your new pub, an inventory of what is in the coolbox and wine cellar, and the keys." he placed the pile on her hands, as she stood there stunned, her jaw hanging in shock.

"So, Rosie, what are you going to name your Pub?"

She gawped for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around the situation, looking from the pile of paperwork, to the pub to the couple who were grinning like a couple of monkeys at her complete and utter shock. Dorea broke first and began laughing and threw her arms around their younger teammate, who was still speechless. She handed the keys and the papers to Charlus who just grinned and unlocked the door. Finally the two women disengaged themselves and looked around at the cheering people. "First, you need to name the place, Rosie, got any ideas?"

Rosie looked at her friends and at the gathering crowd.. she turned and looked at the front of the pub.. her eyes landed on.. "The Three Broomsticks"

Charlus stood back and filled out a paper in the stack he was holding.. and the sign over the door flowed to match the writing on the paperwork as well as the elves tunics...

Dorea and Rosmerta entered the pub and Charlus followed, but not before he turned to the crowd. "The Three Broomsticks will be open for business within the hour." The townspeople cheered, since they wanted and needed a pub that wasn't surrounded by goats.

More than forty, closer to fifty years later, Rosmerta told this story to Harry and his friends, and showed them the pictures of Charlus and Dorea standing with her proudly in front of the pub, and also a picture of James and Lily standing with her a mere twenty years before. Harry made a call, and before the day was out, he had Colin take the same exact shot, this time with Rosmerta and Hermione.

"We can't go back on a Potter tradition, now can we?"

The newest version of the picture was posted on the picture wall right beside the pictures of Harry's parents and grandparents.

The lunch was set for two in the afternoon the day after the 2nd task..

Harry and his friends all arrived and were met by Rosmerta and her staff, who directed everyone to the large hall attached to the back of the pub. This hall had a low stage at one end, which was sometimes used for local and traveling musicians to ply their talents.

It was set up as a long oval of tables with enough place settings for everyone, and once the doors were sealed, the unused spaces would disappear, so everyone was comfortable. All of the invited friends and family were there, Bill Weasley was talking to Evangeline Dubois about warding and some of his adventures

Genn and Hermione were whispering about something and Fleur was speaking to her parents, and Gabrielle was playing a simple finger game with Luna.

Hedwig entered the room and landed on Harry's shoulder, holding out a small parchment. Harry read the note and grinned. He spoke up. "My special guest will be here in one minute..before he arrives, I will tell you a few things, he is considered the best in his field, and his family has been the leaders in their chosen profession for over 800 years..Ladies and Gentlemen, Wizards and Witches, I give you my friend, Jack Golinard.!" with a flourish, he waved his arm toward the stage, and with a blink and a flash of a portkey, the older man appeared along with his assistant, J. Bernheimer.

The applause was energetic, although a few among them were stunned. The man rarely made public appearances.

He went around and was introduced to everyone, When he was introduced to Mrs Dubois, he bent and kissed the back of her hand.. "Mrs Dubois, I have heard of some of your endeavors, I was impressed with your solution of the Catacomb problem..the Denfert-Rochereau Gate and the hidden tunnels, elegant, my dear, elegant" Mrs Dubois blushed at the praise. "We shall speak more on this, my lady." he kissed her hand again and was quite interested when he heard of Genn's upcoming Runes apprenticeship with Charles Sheffield..

"I know Charles quite well, he worked with myself and my father some forty years ago.. you will be learning quite a bit from him.. he only takes on the best, so you must be quite good"

"Thank you Master Golinard" Genn curtsied to the older man. "Tell you what, Miss Dubois, Work with young Harry here and have him show you his whirlygig wards and write them up with your ideas on how he could improve them, He can send it to me, and I will have a word with Charles, ok?"

"Yes, Master Golinard, I shall, how soon do you want it?"

"When are you scheduled to go to San Fransisco?"

"I begin August 1 of this year"

"Save your report for the end of June, that way any improvements you two come up with can be used immediately"

"Yes, sir."

The older man leaned in and whispered to the French girl. "I think you may be in for some stiff competition from young Harry here, though" Harry blushed at the comment.

They moved on and soon Golinard was speaking with Bill Weasley.

"I hear you are working for Gringotts"l

"Yes sir, curse breaking and some warding.. I just returned from a year long project in Egypt."

"yes, I heard about that one, wasn't it the Temple of Set, with all the snakes and traps?"

"Yes sir, it was a fairly intense situation.. if I had known that Harry here was a parseltongue, I would have put him on retainer, just for translating some of the traps, because it seemed that everything we did had something hissing at us."

This intrigued Harry, "Is there any way that you can replay the memories of those, I might be able to help you." The group looked at Harry. Golinard whispered to his assistant, who whirled away with a portkey and was soon back, carrying a stone bowl in a carrier case to protect it.

"Here you go, young Harry, William, put your memories in here of one of the wards, and I will show you the enchantments to project the memory."

Hermione handed Harry his camera, that he used to photograph the runes carved into the bowl, inside and out, and quietly summoned Dobby to get him a large roll of parchment that was spelled to use with the CopyRight charm.

Harry quietly laid the parchment on a round table in the middle of the room and called Bernheimer to place the pensieve in the center. "Master Golinard, may I copy the magic of the pensieve to study?" Golinard looked at him questioningly, and came to a decision.

"It won't hurt the pensieve will it, you know that they are extremely rare and expensive.." "No sir, the spell is non destructive, and inert in relationship to the object being scanned, I have even used it on a vial of erumpment fluid without incident."

"Very well, you may, but I would like to know the spell for my own interest, agreed?"

Harry glanced at Mooney who subtly nodded. "The creator of the spell has authorized me to tell you, so, yes, agreed. " they shook on it and Harry cast the CopyRight spell. The pensieve was scanned and the image was drawn out on the parchment, and the entire remaining area of parchment was covered with small writing and arithmancy and runes.. it was incredibly complex, but in years to come, they would find it to be very complete as well.

Bill Weasley came up to the pensieve and drew out a memory and placed it into the stone bowl.

Everyone watched as the image of Bill and his coworkers wrestled with the powerful wards around the tomb of some ancient King or Prince..they heard the words and spells and chants used by the cursebreakers who spent as much time protecting themselves as they did trying to break down the warding. Over all the sounds and action was an ongoing hissing noise like snakes arguing..

Harry leaned in and listened closely...

"Huh, that's interesting.." he watched the images in the memory as they touched different parts of the stonework around the chamber they were working in.

"See there, when you touch that marking, hieroglyph.. it says../given/" some of the watchers flinched as he spoke the word.. they only heard a hiss. Harry reached for his bag and Hermione handed him his ever present sketchbook. He looked closely at the mark and drew it out, looked closely at it and spoke it. "/given/"

he peered at it as it writhed on the page. "Hmm..not /given/../has given/" This time the drawn rune moved differently. Those who were proficient in the runic mastery were startled.. the character that Harry had drawn in his sketchbook was obviously a rune, but not in any language or futhark that any of them recognized.. and it had changed..in front of their eyes. The character had to be a rune, it held power, and that was the definition of a rune.. a written, drawn or carved character that held power.

The memory that Bill had shared with them was over, and Harry had photographed and drawn as many of the runes as he could see, and while he was at it, gave Bill a basic translation of what they had been up against in that ancient tomb.

"Were you and your team able to enter or bypass that ward?"

"No, we never did, we tried to access the chamber from every side, even the bottom, and we were never able to enter.. from what we can ascertain, there is something quite powerful inside that chamber, and the Goblins want to get access."

"Harry looked dour. "Master Golinard, in your teaching of apprentices, do you ever make a point that there are some doors and wards you just shouldn't break?"

"Why yes, there are.. it can mean your life and very soul if you make a wrong move..sometimes the truth is, that you should just pack up and go home."

Harry returned to Bill. "Do you have any NDA or oaths prohibiting you from sharing the complete memories of this project?" he gestured towards the pensieve.

Bill looked a bit worried.

"I would have to get permissions from Gringotts, as they had hired me to do this task..I would kind of like to work for them full time, so I don't want to piss them off."

"What is the pay rate that they are offering, if I may ask?"

Bill was a bit stunned, here was a 4th year student asking him about pay rates and commissions. "Er.. I was offered 1500 galleons a month and a percentage of whatever I could find."

"I see. Tell you what, I want you to work for me, The base pay is 2000G a month plus bonuses to be negotiated on a per job basis, and it is a lifetime job working for the Ancient and Noble House of Potter.." Bill looked shocked again, and then thought about what he had seen today, held out his hand and shook on it.

Harry projected a thought

/Shala check me on this please/

/as you wish/

"Good, now to tell you what the wards you were trying to break said..

"The Demon within is given the power to destroy all life"

"the risk to your world is too great''

''do not release the Demon"

"we'll be back as soon as we can"

/close enough?/

/as far as I can tell, yes/

Harry continued talking to Bill and the other listeners.

"The Demon within is bad enough, but the thing that worries me is the last line..

"We'll be back as soon as we can".. who is we, and how long have they been gone, and more importantly, what are they going to do when they come back?"

The group was quiet for a time pondering the possibilities. Jack Golinard made a note to follow up with his contacts in the North African Ministries of Magic, which covered a fair area of the Middle Eastern countries.

"Well then, lets not have the potential destruction of the world cast a pall on our party, Eat up!, drink!, dance!" Harry laughed. "Who knows, I may be completely wrong, who do I have to check me, there are no other parseltongue speakers around at the moment.."

Evangeline Dubois was stunned at the goings on around her.. The Master of Wards here for a light lunch?, An up and coming young wards and curse breaker just starting out what looked like an amazing career, working for one of the oldest and richest families in the magical world.. Her daughter on the fast track to an international Mastery and potential for a career that would be world renown.. Her own work recognized by the best, an assortment of people who had the potential to literally change the world..., all sitting here in a small pub in a small village in backwater Scotland.

In years to come, Harry's lunches were much sought after by many, but somehow, the only people who were invited were those who wanted to make the world a better place. These lunches were also known as places that multi-million Dollar, Pound, Yen, Euro or Galleon businesses were set in motion, and virtually every one that kept their original vision continued to prosper and share the wealth. These lunches were also the source for a great many of the new spells and charms that spread across the world, since the local Ministry had pretty much clamped down on new spell development, citing 'traditional values'

At every single one of these lunches, for the next Century plus, there were three people.. Harry, Hermione and Luna.

During the lunch, each champion was asked about their experiences thus far, how they came to their own method of solving the task, and problems they had. This was in no way trying to one-up, it was just friend helping friend.. Karkaroff would have been furious at his champion for 'fraternizing with the enemy' and would have banned Viktor if he had known about it.. Dumbledore was concerned about his control slipping, again, if he had known of it.. he would have barged into the lunch and obliviated the entire group.

if he had known..

Curiously enough, Madam Maxime encouraged her champion and friends to join the group, for she had a farther reaching vision than the average Wizard.

In other countries the power is frequently gathered in by a certain group, not necessarily the most populous group, but almost always the group with the biggest financial stake. An example would be South Africa, there were a white minority that had ruled over the majority black people for years, and the country had suffered for it, in so many ways. In any country, in any nation, in any community, there are those who seek power and those who cannot.

There is an unfortunate situation where the lust for power overrides any and all agendas, any and all racial, cultural, religious or personal boundaries.

In the community that was Magical Britain, there were two powers. Dumbledore and Voldemort. Dumbledore had created Voldemort as an experiment in social engineering, and now he was playing with his lab rats, pitting them one against the other, trying to breed better rats. He had a control group, the purebloods, who learned the basics, and the culture and lived within the parameters of tradition. He had the outsiders, the mundanes with natural talent and forced them to rise to the top on their own merits, only to smack them down when it became apparent that they might succeed.

The truth was, if he had not Tom Riddle to experiment with, then his next two most promising subjects were Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. If it had suited him, he would have put both of them in a so-called 'dark' family and raised them the way he wanted.. in fact Harry was an experiment to see if the nature vs nurture conundrum was viable. The boy had shown himself to be adaptable and worryingly independent.

It was a lovely Sunday afternoon and there were a number of people not visible in the castle.. He checked his map.. one that he had stolen the original from Harry's father, and improved for his own benefit. This was how he always knew who was outside his door, and appeared to be all-knowing.

He scanned the map which he always held visible to him, and noted that he could not find Harry or Hermione, mentally shrugged, and gave the boy a little rope, he could interrogate his subject with the special veritaserum later. A thought crossed his mind. "Ah, I must have Severus brew more potions for Harry, what with his unusual blood."

While Dumbledore was making his plans, Harry was with his friends, and he was posing a question.

"here's the situation. There is a person who is willing to obliviate anybody, dose them with potions at will, use compulsion charms, imperious potions, anything at all to get his way. This person has an untouchable reputation, both in the public and private sector."

He looked at many of the people in the group, and they all had a thought as to what had happened to him or themselves.

"The thing is, we don't know what his goal is, and what he will do to reach that goal."

"What I need is some way to protect myself and my friends and most importantly, do what's the best for all of the magical people in our nation and world."

Some thought he might be talking about a new Dark Lord.

Some thought he was talking about a government official.

They were both right.

Severus Snape lurked around the back of Rosmerta's trying very hard to hear what was going on, and for some reason all he could hear was the sound and commentary from a Chutney Cannons vs Appleby Arrows game from last year.

He was as usual, following the orders of his master,

his mind wandered to another time that he was lurking around the back of an inn.

_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..." _

Snape had known the entire prophecy the whole time but as usual he obeyed his master, and passed the first two lines to the target..

After the events of 31 October 1981, Severus Snape knew the one assigned the role of '_the one _' in this scenario, the son of his one true love, Lily Evans. He grudgingly thought of her as 'Potter' but didn't like it much.

When it came time for the boy to come to school, Snape did as he was commanded, he was rude, sarcastic, vulgar, demanding. Somewhere deep inside he wanted to hold the boy, to give him everything he was not allowed to give to Lily.

That someone, down, deep inside had been suppressed, bound and gagged, and would never be allowed out, ever, for his mind was not his own any more.

A few days later, Bill and Harry.

"You need to protect your mind"

"How?"

There is a skill, occlumency"

"I can already walk through someone's mind and repair some of the damage done by ..whomever."

"How did you get this skill?, and if it's not legilimancy, what is it?"

"Hermione and I were talking and we think it's a form of telepathy, and I am not sure, but it doesn't seem to use magic, at least not in the 'normal' way of looking at things."

"can you show me?"

"Sure, I won't dig, but I will skim over your mind."

"Ok, do it."

He dove in, his inner dragon flying over the landscape..

There were what appeared to be mountains on this plain, when Harry swooped near them he could sense masses of knowledge, that one had large amounts of information about warding..he swooped left and saw another mountain which contained...Harry blushed and flew away..The images and thoughts coming from that one were more than he needed to know for right now. A great deal of the images he saw were intimately related to his friend Fleur.

He swept through the virtual air around the far side and saw something unusual.. what looked like armor covering parts of the mind. "This is probably why Bill can withstand the Veela Allure as well as he does..I need to look at mine."

Harry pulled back.

"did you feel anything?"

"You mean you did it all ready, I didn't feel anything..huh."

"did any thoughts of Fleur pop up?"

"err, yes, why?"

"I saw an area that looked as if it were armored by dragonhide and there was an intense feeling.." Harry blushed saying this. "I saw some images of Fleur, er did you do...no, forget I asked, not my business." He looked away, determined to not see anything.

"No, I haven't done anything with Fleur.. yet, I have yet to ask her out, and not just because she's beautiful and part Veela, but because she's brilliant, smart, intelligent and very powerful magically."

Hearing this, Harry made a decision. "Well, if you want to get to know her, I could put her on retainer to teach me...what?" He looked a bit sly. Bill caught this immediately.

"Well, with your various businesses, you will need people who are well versed in finance and international economics.."

"Yes, that's right, I do.. let me call her." Bill started to protest, but was cut off by Harry's call to Fleur.

"Hi Fleur, I was wondering, your specialty and goal is international finance and economics, correct?" The mirror muffled the sound a bit, but Bill could hear the voice.

"Oui, yes, I am working towards my mastery, and will probably end up working for the French Department of the Economy, why do you ask, 'Arry?"

"Because I will soon be in charge of all the Potter Holdings, and if I am not mistaken, I have the GDP of a small country myself, I need people I trust and respect managing all that, are you interested?"

"What are you looking for, someone to follow your orders, or someone to make policy?"

"I don't know, Fleur, that's why I hire the people who can explain it to me, like yourself, so I can make the right decisions, whats best for the Holdings, whats best for my family, and what's best for Magical beings everywhere." there was a pause before she answered.

"I think we need to talk, can I come over?"

"You certainly may, Fleur, Bill Weasley is here with me discussing the mind arts, you can tell me what you know of them also?"

"Certainement, I shall. Ten Minutes?" "Sounds good, I'll have some wine sent up"

"As you say." she signed off.

Harry set the mirror aside and called Dobby, asking him for tea and wine.

"So, Bill, here's your chance, use it well"

"Thanks Harry,I won't let you down.

"Ok, before she gets here, lets look at the schedule you have,

Hire a team of warders to work with you, and check out every property, home, business, everything.. take along a scribe to keep track of the reports, you are too important to be writing reports, dictate, delegate."

"Once summer is here, I will spend a week at the Dursleys to mollify the old man, and then we are going to one of the warded properties, and you are going to teach me everything you know about warding, curse breaking, apparition, portkeys, the works."

"Sounds good to me, will there be anyone else there?.

"I am sure Hermione will be, probably Luna, a few of my friends from school.."

"Ronald?"

"Unlikely, he has shown me nothing but jealousy and anger, I hate to say it he has stolen from me, lied to me, told tales about me, I suspect he is Dumbledore's pawn, weather he's a willing pawn or not, I do not know."

"I guess I will have to investigate.. I'll let you know."

"Bill, I know he's your brother, but keep him away from me,you won't like what I'm likely to do."

Bill's answer was cut off by the arrival of the lovely French champion, along with her friend Genn. Harry greeted them and sat them in comfortable chairs in his social area,

"Excuse me, I need to call Dobby to get us some food." The elf appeared and Harry made his requests known, as the elf nodded, he whispered "Get Hermione and Luna up here please, I need them."

With a subtle nod, Dobby popped away.

Harry sat on a couch and they were talking about things, and he felt a voice in his mind, quiet, and barely discernible, but there, nonetheless.

~Harry can you hear me?~

~yes, Hermione~

~Is there something wrong, Dobby says you need Luna and myself up there~

~Fleur is here talking to Bill, I'm setting them up~

~Matchmaking, you?~

~making an opportunity~

~But, she brought Genn, and I don't want her to 'be grateful' to me~

~I see, you want me to protect you from the big bad French Witch.~

~Don't mock, I only have eyes, hands and whatever else for you.~

~giggle~

~just make it look real, please?~

he tried to make his mental message have a pleading sound to it.

~we'll be there in a few minutes~

~good~

The conversation in the tower was covering some ground in the sector of financial management, protection and warding against losses, when on the balcony two witches set down on their brooms, Luna on her Venhull Darter, and Hermione on the Nimbus he had bought for her.

They entered through the wide doors, laughing and flush faced, still breathing steam from their cold lungs.

"Hello all, whats going on, anything interesting?"

She spoke while untying her scarf and winter cloak, tossing them aside.

Fleur turned to Harry with a sly look on her face. "Oui, 'Arry, what as you say is interesting..going on?" Harry took this opportunity to turn red, and look elsewhere.

Fleur rose and embraced Hermione and Luna, she had become friends with both girls, and kissed them on their red cheeks. She stepped close to Bill's chair and touched his shoulder lightly. ""Arry, are you trying to be a.. what is it, 'arranging?'

Bill sat in his chair, stunned. Fleur stepped forward and took Hermione's hand and one more step into Harry's space. She took his chin in her hand and made him look her in the eyes. "if you are my friend, you will tell me." He stood taller and looked back.

"I like Bill Weasley, he's a friend, and he made mention that he was fascinated by you, not because you are beautiful or because your Veela allure, but because in his own words,

" because she's brilliant, smart, intelligent and very powerful magically." From what I can see he would be a good match for you, because he can see past what most men see."

"I see. Hmmm." she looked to Hermione who subtly nodded, and then turned.

"So, Mr Weasel, you are not affected by my magical 'eritage?"

Bill stood and bowed slightly, and took her hand.

"No, Miss Delacouer, I am very affected by your beauty, intelligence and wit, How could any sane man not be affected?"

He smiled with a crooked grin which had worked on the ladies of three continents.

"But your Allure, I can fend off better than most."

"Oh, really? We shall see." She quirked an eyebrow and began projecting for all she was worth, to the point of affecting people not in the tower, but down below in the Gryffindor common room and dorms..There were a lot of oddly acting males in the tower that day.

Harry stood and watched, he could feel the pheromones and allure flow over him, and around the room, and grinned as Bill was just starting to sweat a bit, before Fleur shut it

down.

Fleur took Bill by the hand and waved a wand over the chair he had been sitting in and widened it just a little bit, and pushed him into it, and then sat on his lap, one arm around his shoulder.

"So, William, Tell me about yourself."

Later that evening, Harry was spending some quiet time with Hermione, not doing much but being together.

"That was a nice thing you did for Bill and Fleur, you know."

"It seemed logical, if they continue in the relationship, it will be based on respect and thinking, not just hormones and pretty faces." he looked at her with a bright look on his face. "Like us, I respect your mind and intelligence as well as your beauty and grace."

Hermione's response was not verbal.

The next morning the Daily Prophet came out with banner headlines.

**Sirius Black is Innocent**

**but still considered a criminal**

in smaller type below that, the subheading said

**Has the Ministry tried to cover up their mistakes?"**

The students and staff all had papers open and were reading and discussing the story, and all the smaller stories that went with it.

In a sidebar was the full text of the letter written by Amelia Bones, stating that she had full evidence of the real culprit, testimony under veritaserum and magical oath, and her desire to free Sirius Black with a full pardon. The letter went on to describe the machinations of the Minister of Magic and his cohorts, in the Wizengamot who were blocking her attempts to fulfill justice, naming names and other potentially damaging information.

The thing that was the most damaging was an open letter to the wizarding world, written by Harry himself, decrying the shortsightedness of the government in place, and those who held power, and that justice had never been done, and because of that simple fact, the magical world was sharing the responsibility for the crime.

Rita had done a good job, using only facts and figures that could be checked, and not one bit of assumption or rhetoric. Harry was proud of her, she had shown that she could do it, so he made certain that he would reward her later with another exclusive.

Harry had finished the drawings for his Spider Vending machine and had sent them to Remus to be taken to a fabrication shop to be made up. He would install the magical bits later, once the summer came around. He had much to arrange, with the animal suppliers and a huge set of wards put around the target island. There would be no accidental visitors and no escapes from that island. The only exclusion he was planning to put into place was for Shala to be able to visit, since there was no creature normal or magical that could endanger her, he wanted someone he trusted who could keep an eye on things.

Shala seemed to be happy with her island, she had carved out a nice nesting area on one of the rocky crags and was making it feel 'homey' in dragon parlance

There were rocky crags three hundred feet above sea level, almost straight up, but at the bottom was a large greensward that was made up of rolling hills, covered with grass, perfect for grazing animals to make their home. There was a belt of trees and shrubbish around the base of the cliffs, enough to provide cover from the weather for those creatures that needed it. Other than this, the island was deserted. On the south shore was the remains of a fishing trawler that had been driven ashore in a storm some thirty years before, a hulk with no real value, other than a landmark, or scrap price.

Her island was the second in a short chain of four, all owned by the Potter clan since some centuries before..

The northernmost was just as rocky, and the cliffs were somewhat higher, over a thousand feet above the water, and on the peak of that one, a home was carved into the stone. You couldn't see it from the air, or from the sea, but it was there, the house was made with stone and rock and it was decorated with wood and tile and fabrics, and large expanses of glass facing in all directions. There was a walk on top, that had a telescope to watch out to sea.

The third island had no name, and was only about ten miles across, and would be the site of the new spider colony, once the wards were in place and operating.

The fourth and most southern, had no uses planned yet, but there was a small fisherman village in place, currently unoccupied, but it would be the start of a community in time.

Forty miles out to sea, was another island, one no one wanted to visit. Azkaban.

The Ministry of Magic was inundated with letters, Owls, Howlers floo calls, all demanding the release of Sirius Black, unharmed. The ones holding back didn't want to back down and the DMLE had it's hands tied.

Cornelius Fudge was rapidly losing whatever political capital he had, trying to keep things as they were, and was immensely relieved that Headmaster, Grand Mugwump, His main adviser, Albus Dumbledore came calling.

"So, Albus, what am I to do, for years we have claimed that Black was a criminal and people were content to believe that, he was the perfect patsy to blame everything on..It's like he delivered himself to us, that day when the Tournament was started, was like a godsend, he walked right into our arms..I should have had him kissed the moment he was in the cell downstairs." He shook his head. "I would like to know how he escaped, who helped him"

Dumbledore pulled out his patented 'wise elder look number three' "Now, Cornelius, you must remain calm and be deliberate in our dealings, Sirius Black, Is however annoying, the Head and Lord of The Ancient and Noble House of Black, and we all know how extensive that fortune is, and the potential for power and abuse of that power?"

This silenced the short fat man. He stammered a bit, losing some of his political prowess... he was always a little cowed when around the ancient wizard, as he had been while back in school. Albus picked up his tea and sipped, and asked a quiet question.

"And what do your other advisers suggest you do about Black?" The other advisers in question were one man, Lucius Malfoy.

"Oh, yes, Lucius suggests that I wait a short time while he has his people convince Black to sign a binding agreement naming his son Draco as the Black heir, by rights it should be the boy's, as he is the next male in the Black line, but for some reason they want it in writing. He also said that there may be an accident or some thing that we have no control over that takes Black from our midst, and once Draco has control of the Black fortune, then, we will share it with the proper people."

Fudge didn't know he was speaking so truthfully, it was Dumbledore's practice to spike the man's tea with veritaserum whenever they spoke, and it made dealing with the Minister of Magic so much more pleasant. The fact that Malfoy did the same thing whenever he spoke with the man also, was not lost on the great manipulator. As long as Malfoy followed the plan he had laid out all those years before, then Dumbledore would not kill him, as long as it was convenient. He had considered letting Harry have him two years before, let the boy vent on the blond patriarch, and dispose of the body with the acromantulas, but for the moment, the purebloods life was safe.

"For the moment, you should probably agree to Amelia's wishes and release Black, make a public apology to him and blame the Minister of the time for his incarceration, and defer prosecuting him for any crimes, the man has suffered enough for the moment."

He tapped his fingers together in an 'ancient wise mage number six' style.

"I'm sure that Mr Black will not be a hindrance to the proper operation of the Ministry, in fact he will disappear into obscurity" and he continued that sentence silently "as soon as I kill him off and take his fortune."

"Your wisdom in declaring Mr Black innocent, will bring young Harry around to having more appreciation and respect for you, Cornelius, and let me remind you, when you have the grateful respect of The Tournament Champion on your side, as well as that of The Boy-Who-Lived, well, that's precious political capital, is it not?" Fudge rapidly agreed to this plan of action and he called his Head of the DMLE and ordered her to file the proper paperwork on Black immediately, berating her for pursuing the man unnecessarily. Amelia just rolled her eyes once she had left the Minister's office.

At the request of Harry, Sirius met with Amelia Bones. She had him submit one more time to veritaserum, and an oath that he did not commit the crimes he was never actually charged with, and he passed all the tests. Amelia signed off on a series of papers and had him sign them as well. She sighed and sat back, with her hands folded in front of her.

"Black, you're free to go, but before you do, come to my office, please".

"Sit, please" she waved to a chair and then she did a bit of security magic, involving two charms a spell and three runes. He looked on curiously, watching and recording this all to memory, wondering what he could use and how.

Finally she was done. "This room is now secure from all forms of magic, scrying and recording. Whatever is said in this room, while these are up will only be within our minds, and cannot be legilimised or pulled out with veritaserum."

"That said, I want to warn you, the old man and Fudge are up to something. Listen to this."

She played a recording of the conversations that had just occurred in the Minister's office.

Sirius listened with interest, but made no comment. He just watched her face, looking for any clue as to how she was thinking. She had been his trainer when he was in Auror training, and after that her junior partner in the field.

The recording ended, and she sat back. "Well?"

He tilted his head and the bones cracked audibly, making him flinch.

"I'm a mess, Amy, My body is failing me from twelve years of no exercise and shit food, twelve years of Dementors ragging on me, making me remember the horrible things that happened in my life, The gaps in my memory where , I don't know, where I'm just wore down." He closed his eyes. "There have been studies about people who have animagus forms, sometimes they retreat into their form and never come out, just go be a faithful dog and curl up on the hearth, no worries no pain." Amelia was quite worried at this point, Sirius was a friend and she was berating herself for believing he had been guilty of the murder of his blood brother and wife, his family. She wondered if at some time she had been obliviated or confounded by the old man. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Sirius continuing on his speech.

"Harry is all I have left, Him and Mooney, my only anchors in this world...it would be so easy to lay it all down and walk away, find a nice hearth to sleep on.." he shifted in his chair and sat up straight, his black eyes boring into hers. "But I am not going to let the old man railroad him into his own death, not by trick or by deception. If I have to I will kill the old man outright to stop him, but before I go to that extreme, I will do what I can legally and ethically." his eyes burned with determination. "I will send you weekly updates on what I find out and what I do so you can build a case against him, and no matter what, I WILL protect my own."

He stood, towering over her desk. "I intend to adopt Harry as my own son and make him Heir of the Black Family and teach him everything I can about being the Head of the Potter Family.." Sirius' face turned softer. "You know I love you Amy, You took me from an untrained, uncouth teenaged punk and made me into a person that I should have been that day.. but I slipped Amy, I messed up and lost my focus and blew it."

She said nothing, but her heart was breaking.

"I will do what I can to earn your respect once more Amy, I will do what's right, and I will do it for my Son, Harry."

Amelia rose from behind her desk and came around and hugged the tall dark man. "I know you will do what's right Siri, I know your heart is in the right place, and I will do what I can to make things right..please do something for me?" he stayed silent but nodded. "No matter what you do, stop and think, even if you think it might be a life or death decision, stop and think. Leave me a message, tell me what's going on, even if you are going to do something against the law, I won't jump to conclusions.. if you have a good reason for breaking a law, I'll listen."

She handed him a packet of papers declaring his innocence, kissed his cheek and stepped behind her desk once more. She dropped the wards she had placed and punched a button on her intercom.

"Hannah?, send in the reporters please."

"Yes Madam Bones."

The door opened and a passel of reporters tromped into her outer office, where she met them.

They arrayed themselves around the open end of the room as Sirius and Director Bones stood at the other.

"Hello all, I have called you all here to witness the freedom of a man who has been wronged for so many years. He was accused of betraying his blood brother, and due to circumstantial evidence, thrown into Azkaban for twelve years without trial."

The reporters were writing at a swift pace and getting ready with their questions.

"Sirius Black has funded a program supplying the DMLE with a permanent supply of veritaserum to be used to question every suspect in every crime, without regard for blood status, social or financial status, magical or mundane. He wishes to prevent the things that happened to him to happen to anybody else ever again."

"Sirius Black has committed no crimes and I declare him to be a free and innocent man, and any person who harasses him or commits a crime against him, will be arrested."

"The Minister of Magic has decreed that Sirius must be freed, after consulting his advisers, and finally allowed the DMLE to serve justice this day."

This was said with a subtle dig at the Minister implying he couldn't make any decision without someone telling him what to say and whose pocket he was in.

She gave Sirius the floor.

"Mr Black, what are you going to do now?"

Sirius spoke. "If you please, Lord Black..I am going to go and do what my brother James would have wanted me to do fourteen years ago..Go and take care of his son Harry."

"Mr..Lord Black, sorry..Are you saying that you are going to be guardian of The Boy Who Lived?"

"No, I am going to be the guardian and Godfather of Harry, My Godson."

"Lord Black. Does the use of your title indicate you are going to use your vote in the Wizengamot?"

"Yes"

"Lord Black, a followup.. Are you to align yourself with the traditional families or the modernists?" That was an unsubtle way of asking if Sirius was a blood purist.

"Wait and see, I will decide on a vote by vote basis"

"What about The chief Mugwump and his plans for the course of our community?"

"Albus Dumbledore is one man, and can do what he wants, I may or may not follow his lead, depending on the path he is taking."

"Lord Black"

"Lord Black"

"Mr Black, what about"..

"Sorry, no more questions , I have nothing more to say for now, I will schedule a press conference in a week, I have a Godson to attend to." He wrapped his robe around himself

and nodded to Amelia and activated his wristband portkey, whirling away into the ether.

Sirius took a drink and laid back on the couch, his feet up, He had to be clever to get into Hogwarts without Dumbledore knowing and currently he was hiding in the Gryffindor hidden tower, also known as Harry's Lab. Sitting with him were Harry, Hermione, Luna and Dobby. Winky was lurking around somewhere as well, but she was still somewhat fettered by her desire to be a proper elf and not be seen or heard.

"Ok, I have been living as Padfoot for five months, and though the Grangers are a wonderful host family, I need to be in with my real family, and Harry, That's you and Mooney. So, Tell me what's been going on who what why, how and where?"

he peered at them under dark eyelids. "And don't lie to me, I can smell you if you lie to me."

"You first Paddy, tell us where you are at." Harry was trying to distract his godfather.

"Why did you run into a room full of aurors and the Minister?"

"Ahh, if that's the way you want to work it..I have spent twelve years in Azkaban, and survived it because I knew I was innocent, but being affected with dementors daily can take it out of a person.. I still have mental lapses, things I have forgotten, I tend to be a bit impulsive."

Harry snorted. "That's what Mooney said, that you always were impulsive."

"That's true, but back then I tempered it with what the military or aurors would call situational awareness..I don't know if you are aware, I was an Auror with your father before all this happened.. We were partners in many things."

"Yes, I knew, so your barging in was a slip of your situational awareness, then?"

"Yes.. I was worried about my Godson, who had been entered in a godforsaken tournament without his knowledge."

"Ah, I see...Thank you for that, Paddy, I do appreciate it."

"Well, on my end, I asked Andy Tonks and she told me I could legally walk away from the TWT at any time without any problem, but we decided that there is someone who entered me against my will, and I want to lull them into thinking that I am under their control, somewhat."

"So who did it?"

"we don't know yet, but we suspect Moody"

"Moody?, he's one of the good guys!

"We used to think that of Dumbledore too, remember?" Harry reminded Sirius

"Is it possible that Moody is an imposter?"

"Maybe, but how could we tell?"

"Capture him and interrogate him?" This from Harry

"I suspect Moony could do it if he surprised the man, but Moody is as dangerous as he is paranoid."

"We need to find out somehow."

"Hermione is working on something."

"What?"

"She is doing something with the Map, and some medical charms.

"So what will you do once you identify the imposter?"

"Capture him, interrogate him and kill him."

"That's a not too clever a plan, are you willing to kill someone?"

"If it's a Death Eater, it wouldn't be killing, it would be justice."

"How so?"

"What do you know about the initiation to be a Death Eater?"

"Not much, but I have been out of circulation for some years."

"the short version is that you have to kill an innocent in cold blood, use all three of the unforgivables on them in the process, and 'make it entertaining' for Voldemort.

Horror crept across Sirius' face, thinking of the situation.

"It came out in the interrogation of Pettigrew.. He was responsible for the disappearance and death of Edgar Bones, Susie's dad."

Sirius looked pale. "I knew Eddie, he was a good guy, no a great guy.."

"Before he was burned out, Amelia stripped his mind of every memory that she could get and is building a database of knowledge about Death Eaters and their methods."

Harry looked serious. "When we capture and execute DEs we will be ripping their minds as well."

"You shouldn't be messing about with those people Harry, let the Aurors do it."

"Didn't my father ever tell you about the prophecy that Dumbledore set in place?"

"I knew of the prophecy, but I didn't know exactly what it said.. I never took much stock in prophecies.. they only come to pass if you work to make them come to pass."

Harry looked to Luna, who just smiled serenely and nodded slightly. "Well, Paddy, I know of someone who can give me some idea of the futures that are possible, but for the moment we will not worry about such things." He looked at the floor with a dark look on his face. "The problem is, that I don't believe in prophecy either, but the other party does, and so, I have to work on the assumption that it will potentially come to pass."

"So the other party is?" "Voldemort" Harry spat, or rather, Tom Marvolo Riddle, a half blood bastard son of the Gaunt line, and thus Heir of Slytherin, at east technically."

"I see.. What's Dumbledore doing about this?"'

"As usual keeping me in the dark and obliviating me whenever he thinks I'm getting too nosey or not following his plan"

Anger welled up on Sirius' face, but Harry stopped him before he could begin to boil.

"We have it mostly under control, Paddy, We all back up our memories everyday, and the most we could lose is that day, so we can reconstruct whatever was lost, plus we are maintaining a low profile, going with the flow as it were, The Old Man thinks I am under his thumb, doing what he wants me to do, and like a good soldier I hop to, but along the way I have recruited quite a few more soldiers to watch my back, and stand with me in battle as well."

"Who, How?"

"Well, the first came on the day you were captured, Genn Dubois got in the way of a curse sent at me by Draco 'when my father hears' Malfoy. As an apology for the British Empire, I offered her a gift to help her achieve her hearts desire, a Runes apprenticeship with Charles Sheffield.. you know who I mean?"

Sirius nodded, Sheffield was the Michael Jordan of Runes. "And on the plus side, because Malfoy's curse hit Genn, He was arrested by French Aurors and now resides in The Bastille, and Lucius cannot go and retrieve him because anyone with the name Malfoy is arrest on sight in France"'

"That is..is.."

"Awesome?"

"brilliant?"

"quite fortuitous" This last from Luna.

"Yes, all of those." Sirius was astonished at the situation, and then he got a sneaky look on his face, one James saw many times in their youth. "So... if someone hands Lucius a one way portkey into the DMLE of the French Ministry, he might be staying there for a while?"

The students looked at each other with wide eyes, and thoughts racing through their heads.."Well, that is something that might be worth thinking about.."

Everyone laughed at the way Harry said it, all innocent like...

After there was food brought up, and Winky finally was coaxed out of hiding, she spoke of her situation with Barty Jr, and how she was freed against her will, and how she was not a free elf, freed from the curse laid on the elves centuries before, and how she was a ladies maid to Hermione and Luna and a few of the other girls of the Smart Girl's Corner.

Sirius got a faraway look in his eyes. "Your Mother, Lily was a member of the Smart Girls Corner, you know, she was one of the ones who set some of the ongoing wards in place back there."

"Wards? What wards?" Sirius focused on Hermione's question. "The table the girls use is the one back in the southwest corner, by the window still?" She nodded, it was a good place, the sunlight streamed in and the breeze at the right times of year.

"Lily put up wards that kept out all males except those with Potter blood, once she fell for James, of course.. have you ever noticed that no males ever come by that corner?"

Hermione and Luna looked at each other and back at Sirius.."Now that you mention it...no, when Harry came to our table, we didn't even think of it."

"the only ones who did were Viktor and Sergei, but we invited them."

"She told me that there was another ward she put up, it involved carving runes in the underside of the table and it would protect those who were there from mind control spells, and potions."

Luna spoke. "I think, Hermione, that we need to lie on the floor and take a look at these runes , and soon, because they might be helpful..you know,.." she was trying to transmit a thought without saying it out loud. Harry answered the unspoken statement. "If they work, I want those runes on every bed I sleep in, every room I enter, every table I eat at."

"I have enough crap in my life and I need every bit of armor that I can get."

An agreement went through the people present there, that these things would be done as soon as possible.

Sirius broke the silence.

"So you decided to participate in the Tournament"

"Yes, the first task involved dragons, and I went out a couple weeks before and met Charlie Weasley in the forest setting up a site to house the dragons.. he tells me that the orders all along were for four dragons, not three,"

I find that suspicious." Sirius growled.

"Me too, Charlie said the original request was for four dragons, not three."

"In any event, I went to look at the dragons a few nights before the first task and talked to them, and came to an agreement with one, the biggest, most dangerous one, I would give her what she wanted, and she would let me live.. quite a show we put on, I think."

"Well, from what I saw in The Prophet the next day, you gave me a heart attack you know.."

"Sorry, we didn't want to blow your cover as a family dog, so..sorry"

"Your Mother is quite clever, Hermione, she put the paper down on the floor under my food dish, so I could read as I ate, and no one would suspect a dog of reading a paper."

"Your father is pretty awesome too, we worked out together, and he showed me the area as we ran, all the possible ambush points in and around your family home."

The kids had to wrap their minds around the idea of a dentist and his dog running.

Sirius looked mildly offended. "What, I had to build up my body after thirteen years of neglect, and Jake is ex-SAS, he knows his stuff!"

Hermione looked off, remembering what she had learned at the World Cup that night.

"So tell me about this dragon?"

Harry petted the small dragon that sat all the time hidden in his collar, maintaining the connection to Shala.

"Her name is Shala, and she wanted to be free, not chained down to a dragon reserve, she said most dragons are content to stay there, but she was not.. I went into the arena and we danced a bit, putting on a show, and I modified the runes on the chain holding her down, then I summoned my broom, and we took to the air, it was wonderful!" he closed his eyes in remembrance of the flight.

"And?"

Harry came back to earth.

"And she flew off to one of the Potter Islands to live, and I see that she has adequate livestock to feed on, there is nothing holding her there but her own desire to be private and protected. She tells me she wants to raise some young, and possibly expand her people."

"How can you talk to her?"

"I'm a parseltongue, remember, and the dragon language is close to the parsel language."

/actually it's the other way around, Hairy one/

/what?, you mean I'm not a parseltongue?/

/yes/

/yes? What's that mean?/

/yes you are not/

/I am not?/

/another time Hairy one, I am stalking a big fish/

"what was that?"

"I just had a conversation with Shala, that's her name, and she tells me that I am not a parseltongue, but I speak dragon first, and the parsel second."

After five months of continuous contact with Shala in his mind he was beginning to see some of what she could see.

She/he was circling out above the ocean, stalking a pod of Orca, who were stalking their own prey.

In his vision he dove, by furling his wings and swooping down and opening them just as he/she came near the water, snatching a medium sized whale out of the water, and with a powerful flap of her wings, gained altitude and off to her mountain crag.

He was sitting there in the tower, his eyes unfocused as he took in this vision, and shook his head as he cleared the connection.

"Wow, that was awesome.." he was still stunned by the event.

His friends waited for him to continue. "We need to get a pensieve, that was so cool, I need to share that one..Hermione, what's the black whale with the white belly, I forgot?"

"Orca, the _Orcinus orca_ or commonly know as a killer whale, although it is really of the dolphin family.." he cut her off

"Shala swooped down and snatched an Orca out of the water, it had to be 25-30 feet long", and just flew away with it in her claws.. wow." Harry was still stunned at the event.

Shala sent a thought.

/tasty too/

He was stunned from the momentary transmission of a dragons-eye view of an apex predator eating another...

"So what do you do up here in your tower, it looks like a workshop and a lab and a library exploded."

"Well we study, and create and experiment and prepare for the tasks, and no one bothers us, no one of the staff has been up here since we moved in, I think it is protected somehow that I don't quite understand, but for some reason I feel safe here, and the only people who come up here are those I personally allow, not one person has come up that I didn't invite."

"Sounds useful, but not knowing who controls your wards is a potentially dangerous thing."

Luna spoke up, reminding Harry of something.

"Remember, you were the only one who could pull Gryffindor's sword out of the Hat."

"This is likely Gryffindor tower for a reason."

He looked at her. "So you think, because I am a descendant of Godric Gryffindor, that I can access this tower..room."

"Most likely..  
I do not foresee anyone entering here without permission.. you are safe here, Harry."

The evening went on, and they showed Sirius the improved dragonfly, and he had some fun flying it around the grounds, looking at various things. This brought back an ancient memory, at least for him, he was flying through the stables and saw his old motorbike along side the carriages.

Harry and Luna's improvement of the Dragonfly was by making the controls more practical, and improving the eye tremendously.. they bade the eye into a ball, covered with several hundred little triangles of dark mirror, so as to not attract attention, and the receiving end was a comfortable chair with a dome over it, which gave the viewer a three dimensional view of wherever the remote flyer was going. Sirius was poking around the carriage house and stables and there in the side of one of the stalls, covered with dust and cobwebs was his bike.. once he came out and landed the drone, he asked Harry for a favor. "If I am going to stay up here, I need something to keep me from going barmy, I will monitor the map, and we will create more maps as well, and I want to get my old bike back into shape, its in the carriage house, go down there and shrink it when you get a chance and bring it back up here...please" he was quietly desperate, the Bonnie represented the freedom of his youth..

"What about Hagrid, won't he notice, and report to Dumbledore?"

"take some scrap iron and use the CopyRight charm, you are proficient with it now, aren't you?"

"Hermione's better, I can do the scans quite well" he gestured to the wall hanging parchment with various magical objects, a pensieve, Luna's broom, the Firebolt, "Hermione is a master at transfiguration, My work is not quite as good, on the other hand, I could make a fake of the Bonnie, but it would never run, hers would"

"It's up to you, Pup, if you think you need her, I won't argue, I will fly your dragonfly about to keep watch and warn you if need be."

They had already collaborated on a new invention, an earpiece that Sirius could talk and receive audio from and to the others. This worked well for silent mode as the earpiece could pick up subvocalisation. The only problem that had come up so far was that Sirius could hear what Harry was muttering under his breath at Snape, the old man and others..

The pickup of the Bonnie went smoothly. They had detected a notification spell which the switched to an old horseshoe nailed to a wall, and did a quick switch and took the original motorcycle back up to the tower.

Spring was beginning to sprout between the snowbanks, people were getting antsy from being cold all the time, even with the fires always going. Harry was excited, he had received word from Mooney that his spider vending machine was ready to be shipped. The fabrication firm had made it up according to the drawings that he had painstakingly worked out, and supplied the necessary parts for the feed mechanism that he still needed to engrave with the proper runes.

Steel and Iron didn't take magic well, at least under normal circumstances..Since Harry was making the magic work with runes and not based on a single person's magic, it was both harder and easier..He had to pull the magic to run the charms and spells from somewhere, and that meant he had to tie the magic to a power rune, that is one that drew on the ley lines that encompassed the Earth..One of the reasons that the Potter clans owned the four islands in the chain off the coast of Scotland was that those four islands were perfectly aligned with a ley line, and there was one crossing in an almost perpendicular direction, one that intersected with Azkaban. Since the Potter Clan had held the islands for over seven hundred years, there was no one who could contest their ownership.

Harry and Sirius slipped out of the castle one early March day and net with the lorry carrying the construction. A crane lifted it off the bed of the lorry and placed it in a fenced area near the docks. Sirius signed the papers and the lorry and driver left, Harry closing and locking the gate behind him.

They climbed into the access port and knelt down around the intake portal, and Harry laid out his notebook showing the arrangement of the runes.

"I am going to do these from last to first, and this final one will be the power rune," he pointed out the various parts of the scheme. Sirius had never seen a portkey target laid out this way, every target stone he had ever seen was directed to a point, this one was strung out around a two meter circle, and the actual portkey target point was at a virtual spot in the center of the ring. Below the ring was a slippery slide, with nothing for any person or creature to get a grip on, and at the bottom was a door out, that would not let anything in. The other end of the machine was the triggering mechanism, which would not trigger unless a certain weight of spider silk was placed into the hopper. The tricky part was that the creatures on the delivering end were likely smart enough to figure out that if you added a rock, you might get away with less work..so there had to be sorting spells keeping the rocks and debris out of the mix, and even more importantly, nothing living could go through this portal.. It wouldn't do for some unsuspecting shipping and receiving clerk on the other end receiving a full grown spider before lunch break.

It took almost a whole day to engrave and power up the runes and test them out. Harry had gone flying the week before and went out over the nesting area of the acromantulas in the forbidden forest, and with summoning charms, had managed to acquire almost forty pounds of spider silk webbing. He had used this extensively in the testing process, and setting the sensitivity of the trigger. They set the trigger at five kilo for one goat, ten kilo for a steer. The livestock side of the equation was a stockyard near Mallaig, which was made known that if you had animals that you couldn't sell because sickness or injury, you could get a fair price for them, not the top meat price, but something..This started a cottage industry amongst the young boys and some girls, who got some goats and bred them and hired the goats out to clear brush and thorns and hedgerows, and the excess were sent to the new livestock buyer.. This little ploy worked well to help a lot of people on the lower rungs of the financial spectrum.

Each animal was fitted with a stick-on portkey, that when the trap was triggered, they were whisked away and dropped down the chute. Sirius and Harry were laughing like fools when they triggered the input hopper and a goat or pig appeared and wandered around the dockyard looking stunned and dizzy.

They then experimented with the other half of their project.

The day before they had gone to the island and set up another portkey target. This one was a standard portkey target, engraved on a three foot wide piece of granite, and anchored firmly in the rock of the island.

While they were there setting it up, Shala came to visit, flying over from her rocky home.

/Hello Hairy one/

/hello Shala, how are you?/

/it is a pleasant day to fly/

/I know what you mean/

/after I finish here, I will come by your home/

/who is your friend?/

/This is Sirius Black my godfather/

/he looks frightened/

/of course he does, you are a scary dragon/

Sirius ducked behind a rock when Shala roared and Harry just stood there looking indignant.

/what's so funny?/

/you should be afraid of me Hairy one/

/I could eat you in one bite/

/but you won't, who would laugh at your bad jokes?/

/you got me there/

/I'll let you live for now/

/thanks, I think/

/introduce me/

Harry shook his head,.

"Sirius come out here, Shala won't eat you, at least not before she eats me.."

"What?, why would she eat you, or me for that matter?"

"Sirius, this is Shala, she's a friend of mine, Shala, this is Sirius, he's my Godfather."

The great dragon looked at the two wizards, as if looking through them.

/you have been over there..with the soul suckers./

Harry translated.

"yes, I have, I escaped last year and am trying to get better."

/I know. Your darkness impedes you/

Harry looked quizzically at the dragon and translated anyway.

/what's that mean?/

/being around the soul suckers has worn his soul thin..he needs to feed and build it up/

/like yourself, if you want to get stronger, you must exercise and eat meat/

/he needs to exercise his soul and eat to feed it/

/what kind of..meat?/

/you yourself know/

/as with you and your mate/

/she fulfills your/

realization dawned

/your..my soul, I see/

/thank you Shala, very much/

Shala flapped once and was in the sky, winging toward her rocky crag and home.

"Pup, what was that about?"

Harry watched as the dragon shrank into the sky.

"Shala gave me the answer to some of your problems Paddy."

he looked at the older man. "She told me how to fix your mind."

They were setting up the livestock vending machine and chasing the loose animals around the enclosure. They were practicing banishing portkeys at the creatures, whenever one hit a live animal, it triggered and sent the hapless creature to it's new island home.

They sat on top of their creation after having sent all the goats and three cattle to the island and Harry looked dour.

"What's wrong pup?"

"I have fallen into the trap, Siri, I'm thinking like a wizard."

"Is this a wrong thing?"

"Yes and no.. this thing" he banged on the steel of the machine.

"This thing is too complex, too expensive, to easy to break or need service, too easy for the spiders to trick."

"What do you mean?"

He stood and walked from one end to the other.

"I didn't use logic, or common sense here, I just did what any whacked out wizard would do.." Sirius heard Harry mumbling to himself 'bloody fricking "

He came back and sat down next to Sirius and pulled out his notebook, the one that was always there.

He drew a pair of circled one inside another, and wrote a series of runes between the two circles

he looked at it and conjured a large circle of paper about three feet across. He cut across the circle and flipped the strip and fused it , invisibly. He held it in the air and set it spinning, it fell to the ground. He picked it up and drew seven runes spaced equally apart. Spun it again, and it floated in place, at a perfectly even rotation, the mobieus strip went round and round without stopping.

He stopped it and wrote several series of runes, and set it spinning again..

now it hummed quietly. He picked up a rock and tossed it in the top of the spinning circle, the rock vanished silently. He modified it again. Harry picked up a bit of spider silk, wrapped it around a rock and tossed it into the ring. The rock fell to the ground, the silk vanished. "There, the sorting spell is working." he looked around by the dockside. "Accio rat" A rat or two sailed into the enclosure and was stunned before it hit the ground at their feet. " One live rat." he tossed the stunned rat into the ring. It hit the ground, and shook itself awake and scampered off. "Step two, live subject barrier in place."

He stopped it and modified the ring one more time, this time adding portkey target variables.

"Once more into the breach" He tagged the remaining rat with one of their sticky portkeys and activated it. The rat vanished and fell out the bottom of the spinning ring without going into the top.

"There, add one more thing.." he stopped the ring and added the last set of variables.. Sirius couldn't see how he was doing it, but the runes all spaced themselves perfectly equally around the face of the ring..the single face, inasmuch as the ring had one continuous side..

"There, now it is adjustable for size, no matter how big a target is coming through."

Sirius looked at the spinning ring, sure it was made out of paper, but it worked and it was elegantly simple, like a fine machine, form follows function, what his godson had just created there in that spring weather was a far cry from the now obsolete multi-ton behemoth.

"Aluminum, won't corrode too much will it?"

This question was directed at Sirius as they climbed up into the machine and stripped the magical parts out of the thing.

"not really too much, you saw the Bonnie when you retrieved it from the carriage house, it only took one polishing charm after setting there for fourteen years."

"here, hold this" he pushed a large iron ring into Sirius' hands. "how hard was it to put enchantments on the Bonnie?"

"I will admit, your mum had a lot to do with it, there are runes all over the thing, if you pull off the rubber tyres, the rims are inscribed all the way around... she was a master at it, almost as good as she was at potions."

Harry climbed out of the ledge he had been under, pulling out the target disc. He levitated it, and floated the thing out into the sunlight and followed it, with Sirius tagging along behind.

"we are going to sit down soon, and you and Mooney are going to tell me everything you can about my parents, not just that I look like my Dad with my Mum's eyes, I want facts, memories, the works."

Sirius couldn't dispute this idea, because it was quiet but forcefully given.

"so what are you going to do with this?"

"Nothing for now, but I am going to set up the portal ring for spider island today."

"How, you just stripped the magic out of your.."

he gestured towards the huge first draft of the spider portal.

"Watch."

Harry spent a few minutes setting his paper drawing and portal ring in motion.

He stood back to look at it. Satisfied he nodded at it and turned towards a fenced in area about a hundred yards away, piled high with scrapped aluminum and steel and rubber, a pile of shredded automobiles heading for some far away port to be turned into new Toyotas and Hyundais and Daewoos.

"accio copper"

threads and bits of instruments and circuit boards came flying and landed into a pile at Harry's feet. He did it again calling aluminum to another pile. He reached into his bag and pulled out the new and improved sorting hoop that he and Hermione had experimented with those months before.

This one was made with an alloy of copper and aluminum and they had found that no matter what load they put it under, it dispelled the heat as fast as it was created.

He adjusted the parameters on that hoop and dumped the copper bits through the ring as it spun, there in the receiving bucket was a fine ground up copper powder. He ran it through one more time and it was soon a smooth as liquid and shining like a bright penny. He sat that aside and did the same with the aluminum and soon had a bucket of liquid aluminum. The dross landed in a neat pile to one side, and was slowly being blown away in the breeze.

"Stay upwind of that, it will make you sick if you get it in your lung."

"Uh..right."

"now I am going to transfigure the paper portal ring into copper, and

plate it with aluminum."

Sirius watched in amazement as the spinning paper portal slowly gained a coppery sheen and the level of the bucket went down, leaving only a smidgen in the bottom.

He peered at the spinning portal and could see all the runes as clear as they were when they were drawn on the paper version.

"would you put one of those portkeys over there on that" he gestured toward the obsolete machine they had commissioned.

Sirius walked over to the thing as Harry called out. Set it for one hour from now"

He did so and checked his watch for the time.

"It will activate in sixty minutes at 1600 hours"

Harry nodded and gathered up his tools and bag. He de-activated the ring and shrank it into a disk six inches across and stuffed it into his bag also.

"Lets go." with a pop, the fenced in enclosure was empty, except for a bit of coppery dust dissipating in the wind.

"This island has been in the hands of the Potter clans for almost seven hundred years."

they stood on a rise overlooking the shore where a half sunken barge was beached.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I am going to set up my portal ring here on this grassy area, that way, any incoming animals can graze if they want to.. that is if the spiders let them." He hefted his bag and dropped the iron target disk that was destined for the vending machine. He used a bit of magic an placed it in a low area, and covered up the area with a large slice of stone from a shoreline outcropping. He then modified the grass to always show where the target was centered.. that way no one would accidentally set up camp in an incoming zone..if there ever was anyone foolish enough to stay on the island.

"Time?" "1550 hours" "good. Stand back."

He set the portal ring to floating and spinning and moved it out to an area over the sunken barge, up about sixty feet in the air.

"And now we wait to see if it works"

They stood watching the shiny ring humm as it spun, hovering there above the beach.

The thing rippled and colors began to fill the opening and it expanded to a ring almost forty foot across.. the dark shape of the abandoned machine fell out of the ether and crashed on top of the barge and split a weld, collapsing into a pile of crumpled sheet-metal and angle iron.

The floating portal ring shrank back to the original three feet and went back to a quiet hum. Harry floated the ring back to the grassland they had chosen and anchored it to the megalith beneath the island.. there was nothing now short of the apocalyptic movement of that island that would shift the portal from it's location now. It floated an even six feet above ground level, and was steady in its rotation.

Harry looked around to verify that things were ready and flipped open his mirror.

"we're ready here, send through about a dozen animals, and tomorrow we will begin the hunt."

They watched for a while as several goats and sheep appeared in the portal ring and landed, not too hard, and none the worse for wear..The animals scampered off, not too far off, but away from the people, and began to nuzzle around in the grass and look for something tasty to eat.

Edit 6-05-10

I was accosted by a reviewer in reference to my statements about South Africa recently.

His words were along the lines that I should not write what I know nothing about and asked if I was a bigot.

I assured him that I was (am) not and that to the best of my knowledge the words I wrote were true and could be verified.

In my edit today I have not changed a single word about South Africa and their former government and their treatment of the black majority.

Apartheid fell under pressure from inside and out, and for many years the country had prospered.

From what I understand there are now things going on there hat are just as bad as they were then.

I grieve for all the people of that nation and hope that by some combination of wisdom and pressure from the world their internal problems will be justly dealt with, as with ALL nations, regardless of nationality, religion, political agenda. Let there be peace in the world.

Edit 2-16-10

I have retconned a few things in this chapter

for continuity's sake.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Power (they do not use)

_previously:_

_The floating portal ring shrank back to the original three feet and went back to a quiet hum. Harry floated the ring back to the grassland they had chosen and anchored it to the megalith beneath the island.. there was nothing now short of the apocalyptic movement of that island that would shift the portal from it's location now. It floated an even six feet above ground level, and was steady in its rotation._

_Harry looked around to verify that things were ready and flipped open his mirror. _

"_we're ready here, send through about a dozen animals, and tomorrow we will begin the hunt."_

Chapter 9

The group of friends were gathered at the invitation of Harry.

There were all four of the champions and their friends from their own schools, there were several of the instructors from all three schools, there were townspeople from Hogsmeade as well. The word had gone out that the removal of the acromantula nest in the forest was imminent.

Harry had sent a message to the Centaurs, because they were the most immediately affected, as they lived in the same forest as the spiders.

Harry addressed the herd chief, Magorian and asked several things of him. "Herd Chief Magorian, I would like to ask some things of you, history mostly."

"Yes young wizard?"

"Chief Magorian, have there always been the spiders in this forest, and if so, how many.. what I am trying to find out is their population natural or were they introduced, and if so , when?"

"Young wizard, has not your grand mugwump told you of these things?"

"No, Chief Magorian, he as not, he has kept me ignorant of many things, and what I know of the history of this forest is what I have read in old books, for the modern editions of those same books tell a different story."

"What do the older books tell you that the newer ones do not?"

"That this forbidden forest was once a magical creature sanctuary, and many different magical creatures lived here in harmony with one another."

"And the books now?"

"They say it is forbidden and not one tells why"

Magorian looked up at the sky.

"There are those who would tell you one thing to your face and another to your back."

"And that is why I have come to you Chief Magorian, because whatever you tell me would be the truth"

"your trust is commendable young wizard, but be careful whom you put your trust in."

"Yes, Chief Magorian."

"The truth is in the stars and planets young wizard, but what is written in your older books is more correct than the newer."

"My peoples lands were in the forest, but now we must be satisfied with the hedges and meadows at the edge."

"this is why I wanted to contact you and your people Chief Magorian..I have been commanded to take on the spiders to make all of us safer."

Magorian turned away from his contemplation of the skies and looked closely at the young wizard.

"Who could give such a command?..Dumbledore?"

"No, the old man would want the spiders to be here, he's the one who had the books rewritten, he has some kind of plan, and I'm afraid it isn't a good plan...no my command comes from the Moon's Child."

"We will help you Harry Potter."

"Good, I have my people making portkeys that are used to transport the spiders away, and we have to figure out a way to deliver them.. I thought since your people are so good with your bows, that it might be a good way to do it safely."

Harry reached in his bag and pulled out a fist full of arrows and showed them to the Chief. "Here, they will only work on contact with a living thing, and it has to contact at a certain speed, so if you accidentally touch one, then you wont be transported to Spider Island."

He demonstrated by touching the tips of the arrows.

"I know the balance of the arrow isn't the greatest, but I thought your warriors could overcome it."

"What will your people use, since your people are unusually inept with the bow."

Harry grinned. "Not all Englishmen are inept with a bow, we had a bit of a victory at Agincourt.." he grinned Every English schoolboy knew about Agincourt.

"We will be using crossbows..and as many as possible we will be using our brooms, I know it seems unfair, but we want to get as many as possible as quickly as possible."

"what I am giving your people these for is to catch any stragglers and to protect yourself..I have here twenty five boxes of one hundred each, I hope it will be enough"

"I will see to it that these are distributed appropriately. Perhaps you should give instruction as to the use of these"

"Let me know when is a good time for your people and I will be there."

He dug in his bag again and did something to the item he pulled out. "Here is a mirror to communicate with me or any of the people who carry mirrors..perhaps you know Remus Lupin?"

"I am familiar with the wolf-man, he is acceptable."

He handed the mirror to the Centaur. "To call myself or Lupin, just hold it up and say our name, like this" He opened his own mirror and called Mooney "Lupin" The mirror fuzzed and Mooney's face was visible. "I have given the portkey arrows to Magorian, and he will call either you or I when he has his warriors together so they can receive instruction.. bring your longbow."

"As you say, Harry. Chief Magorian, Thank you for working with us."

"Yes Lupin, we will meet soon." without another word, Magorian turned and cantered away into the forest, the 25 boxes of arrows following behind on a levitation pallet.

The gathered hunters, the champions, everyone armed themselves.

"Remember, if you are accidentally hit with a portkey, run straight toward the shore, there is a warded area for about sixty yards around the shipwreck, you will be safe from the spiders and whomever might be lurking about.. also, there is my dragon friend Shala, she is no danger to yourselves, so don't attack her, she is your protection while on Spider Island." "If you accidentally fall into the forest here, hit your bugout portkey as quickly as you can, it will take you to a medically secure area, you will be stunned and in stasis for your safety, and it will be a bother to our medical staff, so don't fall into the forest, please."

He didn't say that if they fell into the forest, they would be stunned in case they brought a spider along with them, and for safety's sake, it was a blanket decision.

"Carpet riders, mount your carpets, Broom Riders, Mount your brooms."

Flyers stay above the reach of the spiders, gunners, target carefully and don't waste your portkeys."

There were over fifty teams launching and flying slowly over the forest, ten yards above the tops of the highest trees, They had some practice loading and cocking their crossbows while in flight and they had liberal use of sticking charms, tiedowns and plain old rope to do the job, There were a five carpets up and behind carrying more ammunition, and two gunners on each, while the flyer piloted them on their desired course. Every person had Sirius' earpiece in, which transmitted voice communications, and only three had the ability to broadcast to every team and every person.. Harry, Sirius and Mooney.

Harry opened his mirror and called Mooney. "Hey Mooney, tell the Chief that we are beginning now, and to be careful, we don't want to lose any friends, Centaur or not."

"Will do, Pup, On it, be careful."

Mooney had gone to spend time with the Centaurs, and he had taken his longbow, based on some examples that had been found in the Black and Potter vaults. Mooney had worked hard with his people.. he now had people. He hired an Olympic Gold Medalist archer to help him with basic training in how to use the thing, He practiced for hours and even though he was not up to the standard that he would have liked, he was every bit as good as one of Arthur Pendragon's archers.

Suffice it to say he could put an arrow through a quaffle at thirty meters. In the time of his training he had gone through quite a few quaffles.

"Chief Magorian, Harry and his teams are taking their places and have given us the warning, so your warriors should be prepared."

"We will do our part, wolfman, we will do our part, For Mars has stood on the horizon and is ascendant." He looked over his warriors. "This is a good day to fight for our lands."

The clans of the Centaur herd moved back to safe locations, defensible locations, but the warrior moved forward. They had blood in their hearts to take back their lands from the eight legged invaders.

There was movement in amongst the trees, the Spiders were moving over and through the branches and bushes, generally in one direction, away from the onslaught to the east. These were mostly smaller spiders, though there were some larger ones herding their younger siblings. The centaurs fired when they saw any stragglers, and every arrow hit, and stuck firm. The impact of the arrow triggered the portkey charm and each and every spider hit was whirled away into the ether.

Mooney saw a huge spider moving alone, surprisingly fast, heading toward the Centaur village. He pointed this out to Magorian who nodded. A few barked words and the warriors moved to contain the threat. Their hail of arrows continued to fall on the exodus of arachnids, and more and more spiders disappeared, enraging the large spider. The warriors did not draw on this huge invader, because it was still out of range. Mooney took up an arrow, and raised his angle, held his breath, and when the right instant came to pass, released his missile. The arrow arced up, far above the trees as he absently nocked another arrow. The missile hit the huge spider dead center of it's thorax and they could all hear it's scream of anger as it whirled away into the between.

The assault teams lifted off and moved forward, the foremost firing at targets of opportunity, taking out the leading edge of the spider colony rather quickly. The carpets were piloted by Padma and Parvati and Lavender and two girls from Hufflepuff. They kept up and behind and when one of the forward gunners was running out of bolts for their crossbows, that broom peeled off to the back of the line and moved up to the carpet to reload, as the next broom flyer and gunner moved up to do their time at point. Each carpet serviced ten brooms and they had fifty broom riders and gunners. The commands came down from above, the military equivalent would be a FAC, a forward air controller, who spotted spider infestations and herded them into clumps. The gunners rained down their fire from above at the order of the FAC, and the whole thing was overseen by Harry and Sirius who flew like seekers over the whole situation.

"Oi Team four, you have someone getting too close, one of the spiders almost leapt high enough to get him.." the pilot of the carpet called her gunner and flyer to pull up and get to the back of the line as her two onboard gunners kept watch with crossbow and wand.

The action took out almost seven thousand spiders that day, and the island was swamped with them in short order.

There were no losses of either the flight teams or the centaur warriors, although one of the carpet pilots had broken a nail .

The endgame came when there were less than a hundred spiders left in a small section of forest, some medium to large spiders surrounding the small, whom they had herded into a small cave, protecting them.

There was one though, the largest of the large. Aragog. Harry came down to speaking height, beyond the reach of any spider leap, but within hearing.

"Aragog, your people are safe, I have sent them to an island where you can live in peace, and raise your young."

"What do you mean human, you have killed them all."

"No Aragog, I have not. I have sent them to an island home where no human can visit, and I will provide food in trade."

"you lie."

"Well then see for yourself." He gestured and hundreds of arrow portkeys cleaned out the last nest in a few short moments.

"Ok People, look around, egg sacs, living spiders, whatever, burn it all, I want no spiders living here after today."

"Gunners lock down your portkey ammo and follow procedure we discussed."

The fighters congregated around the center of the empty spiders nest. In the area around there were fires being set, burning things that were probably not to pleasant to look at. There was evidence of more than one human who had fallen prey to the giant arachnids. Sirius had someone gather all the bones and put them into one container, to be dealt with later.

Harry was interested in the small cave in the center of the nest. It looked somehow.. unnatural. He sent most of the teams back to Hogsmeade for debriefing, that is, turn in their weapons and ammunition, and go to Rosmerta's for a party. Lavender was enjoying herself with her team, She was wearing a perky all leather flight outfit lined with soft cashmere fur, she kept on the cute helmet and put the goggles up and in so doing looked like some 1930's aviatrix. Parvati and Padma wore the same outfit, and didn't quite pull off the 'cute and perky' look, instead, with their dark skin and Indian cheekbones managed to look exotic and sexy, almost dangerous. This had quite a few of the boys lined up to dance with them, get them drinks, debrief them.. whatever they wanted.

Meanwhile, back in the woods.

Sirius and Harry landed, after they knew the area had been cleared, and walked around the stone outcropping with the cave. They found it was indeed, not natural, it was the entrance to a tunnel.

At the back of the cave was a door, and nothing any of them tried made it open..there were bones. Many bones lying about. Spider parts, hollow tubes of chitin that had been their exoskeletons, Bones of Centaurs, Bones of all manner of livestock and creature. There were even bones of a hippogryph.

"I think I know what this is Sirius."

"What is it pup?.

"I think it's the back door to the Chamber of Secrets.."

"Why do you think that?"

"Look here, this rock outcropping, doesn't it look as if something has been dragged across it?"

"Now that you mention it, yes, it does.. but what does that prove?"

"Well, I assume that the basilisk didn't sleep the entire thousand years it was down there, and it had to eat something to make it so big..right?"

"I suppose you're right, does this mean there's a basilisk behind this door?"

"One way to find out."

he stood in front of the door and hissed at it.

/open/

Smoothly, Silently, the door opened, pushing the bones and detritus aside like autumn leaves.

The doors stood open, and the tunnel led of into the darkness.

"Another time we should investigate this, and retrieve the basilisk if we can."

he spoke one more time

/close/

the doors did so. Sealing with a hiss of air.

"I need to hide this, from Tom, from Dumbledore, from everyone."

he pulled out his mirror and called Bill Weasley.

The redheaded cursebreaker answered while in a loud room, a party, actually. He and Fleur were arm in arm laughing and grinning.

"Yeah, Harry, what can I do for you?"

"You can sober up and get over here to do some quick warding, bring Fleur if you want."

"Gimmee ten, ok?"

Harry nodded and shut the mirror.

"This is an asset we cannot let be found.. this leads right under Hogwarts.. This can house a thousand troops without anyone knowing about it if we need to, not to mention, Basilisk parts are bloody expensive, there's pure money laying down there on the floor of the chamber."

"You hope there is, Harry, the old man could have gotten down there, if what you tell me is true."

"How?"

"He sent Fawkes down with the hat and sword, correct?"

"Er..yeah..the hat anyway, the Sword he didn't know about."

"So Fawkes has been IN the chamber, correct?"

"yes"

"Then Fawkes can bring anyone into the chamber that he will"

"I see. Hmm."

"I wonder..Fawkes?"

a moment later the red and gold phoenix flared into being and perched on Harry's shoulder.

"Hi Fawkes, how are you?"

The bird tilted his head, and Harry got a general feeling of 'not bad, you?"

"I'm pretty good, Fawkes.. We just eliminated the spider threat, and it feels pretty good."

again he got a feeling from the firebird of surprise and maybe a little pride, a job well done.

"What I asked you here for, is this, Have you taken Dumbledore or anyone else down to the Chamber since you pulled me and the others out?"

The bird visibly shook his head no."

"Has anyone asked?" Sirius asked the creature.

This time he got a nod..and Harry got a clear picture of the Headmaster.

"why didn't you take him down?"

Fawkes didn't answer, he just looked sad.

They were interrupted by the arrival of the now sober Bill Weasley and his girlfriend Fleur Delacouer.

They watched, stunned as Fawkes headbutted Harry and then flew off in a flare of light.

Harry just stood there, looking stunned and sad.

He shook himself and came out of it. Hello, Bill, Hello Fleur."

he gave Fleur a slight bow of respect.

'allo Harree, what is it up today?"

Bill just smirked enjoying the sound of Fleur's voice.

"Well, Miss Delacouer, I was about to have Warder Weasley show me how to do a specific charm, and teach it to me."

"And what charm would that be, Meester Employer 'Arree?"

"I believe it is called the Fidelius charm.. can you do it, and teach me how to do it?"

"Yes, I believe so.. what do you want to put under a fidelius?"

Harry turned around and hit the door behind him. "This door, I don't want anyone to know or remember that this door is here, in any way"

"Well then, lets get to it, I want to spend time with My pretty girlfriend"

"Me too, Bill me too"

It was an interesting experience learning how to forget something. The did a few trial runs, making different things hidden via the charm, Bill demonstrated by hiding a clump of spider webbing covering a dead Ford Anglia that looked as it it had died in battle. He made Fleur the secret keeper and she told Harry where the Ford was, and he could suddenly see it. "So do you remember who and what when you cast the charm?"

"Of course, I have to remember, or I couldn't cast it."

"So, If Dumbledore cast the charm on my family's home he would know where it was and who the secret keeper was?"

"Of course, everyone knows that."

"I see. So then, I know the charm and I need to practice it first.. can the charm be put on a person or living thing?"

"No, it has to stay inert, if it moves about, the charm won't stick."

"Won't stick?"

"No, that's the best way I can describe it.. It is explained fairly well in Golinards book, you should read it."

"I did, that's why I want you to explain it to me.. maybe later, lets try this.

Harry cast the charm on the dead Anglia and hid it from view, and kept the secret within himself. He could still see it, but there was a certain haze over the thing. Bill and Fleur couldn't see it. Fleur could see that there was something there, for she as a Veela had perception out of the normal human realm. Lupin and a few of the Centaurs wandered into the area, looking for Harry. They came upon him as he finished the charm.

"Ok, since you two are not entirely human, extend your senses around the immediate area and tell me if you sense anything unusual."

Lupin looked around closely and sniffed the area without moving, he listened carefully, as his ears were somewhat more sensitive than the average humans.. "There is something over there, I cannot tell what it is, but something." he pointed directly to the area where the Anglia was hidden. The Centaur confirmed the location. Bill was the only one in the group who couldn't see something there..

"Well then, that seems to be a waste of time" he dropped the charm and the Ford became visible to the eye and mind once more.

"How about a layered approach?" Bill was thinking. A combination of concealment charms, notice me not and then the fidelius on top of that?"

Harry thought about it and nodded. He strode over to the Anglia and banished the assorted weeds and webs from the thing and drew a series of runes on the sides and top of the car. He then stepped back to the group and activated the runes and then cast the fidelius.

"now see if you can sense it."

The three 'non humans' in the group did their level best to detect the vehicle sitting there.

"I do not detect it" Fleur was first to speak

"Nor do I" Mooney was next

"I detect a negative, a something/nothing that I cannot define." The centaur who happened to be Banes' younger sibling spoke.

"Good, that should be sufficient" Harry dispelled the charm and the hulk of the car sat there inert and ignored.

They conjured up a picnic table and had one of the elves on staff bring out a lunch and buffet for the assorted people working in the area. Harry sat with Bill, Fleur and Lupin munching on a sandwich and talking.

"So whats behind the door?"

"That's the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. The basilisk had to get out to eat sometime and this was her way out.. the door has a parsel open and close command.. maybe its an automatic close, I don't know.."

he got up and strolled over to the door and hissed for it to open, and it did so. He looked at his watch to note the time and sat back down to lunch. They spoke of several things, and Harry was asking Bill and the others about password access to doors and the like when the great doors silently closed of their own accord. He glanced at his watch and noted the time. "Twelve minutes." He turned back to Bill who was explaining how to put a password lock on any door or opening, and the steadily harder locks and charms, including blood wards. Harry wrote down a bunch of notes and took one more drink from his lunch and stood.

"Time to try out what I have learned."

He went to the great door and drew some runes on the door and etched them into the material, which looked much like the surrounding stone.

He then set a voice password in the hissing language he was known to use. He then activated the hiding runes on the door itself, and to the observer, the door faded into the surrounding rock. Finally, he cast the fidelius charm over the door, making everyone but the secret keeper, himself, forget the door was ever there.

He moved out of the opening in the rock face and with the help of his friends, transfigured the local stone into a convincing hillside that completely concealed the existence of the entryway, let alone the door..

The only way to get to the back entrance of the Chamber of Secrets now was to know exactly which bit of rocky hillside to vanish, a fidelius over the door, Hiding Runes, and password protection guessing a parseltongue based phrase.

Satisfied that a good days work was done, Harry and his compatriots cleaned up the area and went home.

The spiders were milling about the island, looking for direction, looking for their leader, looking for food, or just looking.

A few more adventurous took off toward the shore line and would eventually follow it all the way around, and report this fact to their leader.

Aragog landed and flexed his eight legs and looked about, calling his children to order, where he could. He saw that there were trees and rocky outcroppings toward the center of the island and directed some of his older sons to make their way toward that area and find places that could provide shelter. Aragog himself thought of the home he knew in his youth, before he had been snatched from the jungles of the Amazon and thrust into this cold and forbidding environment.. His children reflected the climate in which they grew up, they had more fur on their bodies, and were more compact, allowing less surface area to be exposed to the weather. He slowly worked his way toward the human standing there, unmolested toward the shore side of the arrival point.

Sirius Black stood in a warded area anchored by the wreck of an old barge, this one was no longer able to be waterborne, with huge gaps in the hull, rot and decay everywhere. The spiders crowded around, stopping short at the borders of the wards, their legs and mandibles arcing with painful electricity when they tried to cross. As a reference point there was a row of rocks defining the ward barriers, and the spiders quickly learned how far they could go. Aragog loomed over the point where Sirius stood watching.

"human, what have you done to me and my children?"

"I have saved your lives, Aragog."

"What do you mean?"

"If we had not removed you to this island, we would have been forced to destroy you and all your children."

"Why?"

"because you are becoming too numerous and too uncontrolled."

"You were eating everything in the forest"

"We hunger"

"Everything does"

"How will we eat here?"

"I will see to it that your children are fed..in trade"

"trade? What kind of trade?"

"your webbing silk is strong and light, we will trade you a goat for 5 kilo of silk webbing"

"what is fivekilos?

"a ball of webbing this size"

He held up a ball about the size of a basketball and tossed it to Aragog.

The great spider snagged it out of the air with one foreleg.

He felt it's weight.

"How will this get us a goat?"

"Have one of your children put it through that spinning ring over there"

Sirius pointed toward the floating shiny ring that was ten yards away.

Aragog handed the ball of silk to a smaller, but still quite large spider and there was a quiet chittering. The ball was passed from claw to claw, each sensing the mass and weight of it, and then finally lifted up and dropped through the ring. Every multifaceted eye for a hundred yards was fixed on the ring. The Ball of silky webbing went into the ring and disappeared from sight, and out from the bottom side of the ring, a adolescent goat appeared, landing on it's feet and looking about with some fear in it's eyes.

The goat was snatched up and handed across the waving sea of legs and claws and mandibles and as it went , it was wrapped in a cocoon of silk, completely covering it, it's cries getting quieter and quieter as it was carried off toward some destination.

Attention was returned to Sirius who stood there watching this action placidly. Twelve years of exposure to dementors inured a person to pretty much any horror.

Sirius spoke once more to the gathered arachnid audience.

"If you come up with a ten kilo ball of webbing, we will provide a larger animal, cattle, or a boar." he tossed the ten kilo ball to one of the spiders and the process was repeated and they were rewarded with a fairly large pig, who once again was captured and carried off to some distant location.

"If someone thinks to add weight with stones or whatever, the package will be rejected." He tossed a ball of silk with obvious rocks in it to the ring. The package just fell through to the ground inert.

"We have no wish to have your people starve, we will provide a certain number of animals a day to maintain your colony, but if you want extra, you will have a way to do so."

Off in the distance ad column of marching spiders could be seen coming, each carrying a ball of webbing, all tidy and neat. The mass of spiders took no notice and the marching column marched right up and over it's brethren.

A relatively steady stream of incoming silk made for a steady collection of animals to be encased and taken to some far away place. In truth the animals were being placed in the nursery of the spider hatchlings.

Sirius gathered the attention of the spiders at hand.

"If you get any ideas about escaping this island, by whatever means, look at this"

He indicated a wooden boat they had conjured and was floating out to sea on the tide. "Imagine this as a learning experience. A shadow passed overhead, like a bird only quite a bit bigger. Sirius leaned back to see the majestic wingspan of Shala the huge dragon, who swooped around the floating boat, which in relationship to her, seemed insignificant.

She did a perfect point turn around the boat and her flaming breath washed over the the floating object.

When her flame receded, there was nothing but steam and a few floating bits of charcoal on the water.

This demonstration was felt on a primal level by all the spiders watching, but only Aragog had enough age and intellect to know that in spite of the agreement they had thrust upon them, they were now on an island prison.

Shala landed with a crunch on the gravelly beach, her feet displacing rocks as the claws gripped. The spiders in her immediate vicinity moved away, as far out of range of her breath and reach as possible.

The spider population could sustain a few individual losses, as there were only a few who were sentient enough to be individuals, and that came with age and experience, such as Aragog and his mate..the youngers were just spiders, working wholly on instinct, Instinct to eat and breed, and trap their prey. These new instincts, those of gathering webbing and depositing it in the ring to get access to an animal, would spread throughout the group, if one knew it, they all knew it.

The demonstration with Shala was not lost on the spiders with enough experience to think, and ideas were set aside.

"One last thing"

"What is it Human?"

"If any intelligent being comes to this island and is deliberately injured , we will cut off all deliveries of animals..you will make any person who comes here to this island come to this point and they will find help. If you do this you will be rewarded. If you do not do this, we will stop all animal delivery, regardless of how much silk you put through the ring."

"What is intelligent being?"

"Centaurs, Goblins, House elves, Humans, Werewolves. If the person can talk to you or me, it's considered an intelligent creature."

It was strange sight to see a spider pondering.

"Very well, We shall escort any beings to this spot, and you will see to it that our food keeps coming."

"We will swear an oath to that effect, Aragog. Very well, Our business here is finished."

Aragog bent his legs in a slight bow, and turned away. The life of his children was assured for the moment. all was well.

The whole spider roundup had been waiting for weeks to occur, the single holdup was one man. Albus Dumbledore. Harry and his advisors wanted to wait until the old an was out of the country before they did their task.

It was somewhat along the same lines as 'it is better to ask forgiveness than ask permission.'

Harry just wanted to quietly take the spider colony away without anyone noticing, and let it be a _fait accompli . _

Dumbledore was in France looking out after the welfare of one of his students, one Draco Lucius Malfoy..the boy's own father couldn't retrieve him, as the name Malfoy was persona non grata inside French borders, and the aurors were instructed to arrest on sight. That particular order was put in place due to some particularly underhanded dealing against the Crown of France, and the monarch of the time decreed that the ruling shall be in perpetuity, thus, the arrest on sight order.

As it stood, the only way that Dumbledore got Malfoy out of the Bastille was if he swore an unbreakable oath that he would not let the young boy enter French lands under any circumstances again while he was underage, and that the young heir of Malfoy would not raise hand or wand against any French citizen.

Those promises made and a hefty fine paid, Draco Malfoy was freed into the hands of his headmaster.

Dumbledore did not find out about the loss of the spiders until two days before the third task, because Hagrid had to go out to the forest to collect three mid to large spiders to be used as a part of the maze sections.

Hagrid went deeper and deeper into the forest, searching for some likely targets and found nothing, only long abandoned nesting area and some stray bits of webbing trailing from a few trees, and the dead zone created by the massive presence of that many spiders.

"Huh?. I wonder where they all went?"

"I aint beleivin it.. better tell Dumbledore, Great man Dumbledore" Hagrid mumbled this litany all the while he was tromping around the forest, looking for spiders. In the short time the arachnids had been gone from the forest, there were several rare and endangered species of plant life returning as it grew into the bare patches, there were indications of some animals making a comeback also.

The removal of the alien species was tantamount to a forest fire, burning away all the undergrowth, and allowing some of the young trees a chance at the sun.

end chapter 9

Edit 06-05-10


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The Power (They Do Not Use)

Omake:

"Harry why didn't you use the portkeys to sent the DE's to Spider Island? It  
would solve the problem of the DEs and keep the spiders fed.." Sirius was truly wondering why his Godson was adamant about this rule about not eliminating a problem and taking care of an expense at the same time; after all, it was something his own family would approve of.

"Sirius, in the real world, if a pack of dogs have tasted human flesh, they are put down; the same with lions and tigers and bears in captivity and in the controlled environments like wildlife preserves. Once they have tasted human, they don't differentiate, and any of us could be next on their menu even if we are not wearing black robes and white masks. The spiders are driven by instinct; if one of us accidentally gets dropped into their area, we are free game for them. It will only take a few short generations to retrain the spiders, humans are more problematic," he frowned.

"It seems that generations of purebloods still haven't realized that inbreeding is bad for them, and it is our duty as the sane to keep them separated from themselves, or the entire wizarding world will end up sub-moronic and all mutants with gump chins and big ears"

Sirius looked at the young man trying to translate what he had just said to  
something he understood. Mooney punched him in the shoulder to get his attention.

"What he said is once you've had human you won't go back, and since we are human, it's best to keep the livestock coming. We want the spiders dependent on us, for food, for shelter, for protection; we can breed out the violent among them."

Sirius looked forlorn. "Not even one?...

Mooney and Harry both barked "NO!" as Sirius got hit in the face by a couch pillow.

Later that day, Mooney was thinking. "Harry, what do you think, an object lesson?"

Harry glanced at the idea his quasi-uncle was projecting. "Ok, sure, but not before I am there waiting on my broom, and disillusioned."

Three days later, while they were working in the forest repairing some of the spider nest damage, Sirius picked up a portkey arrow that had missed it's target. He was caught by surprise as it unexpectedly activated, whirling him away to the island. He awoke, flat on his back, surrounded by spiders; huge, scary, large spiders.

"Er..hi?"

The spiders chittered and rustled, their mandibles clicking and joints creaking as they acted as if they wanted to take him as a meal. The largest spider in the bunch came forward, and made a sound as if it were talking..it took a few tries, but Sirius understood.

"Follow"

"Follow?"

"Yes, Follow!"

The largest spider turned and started ambling away as the group with him turned as one to march toward the same destination, forcing Sirius to move or be run over. They walked for almost a mile, and Sirius had to scramble a bit over obstacles and rocks the spiders ignored at will. Finally they came into sight of the shore, where he saw Harry and Mooney standing, waiting for him by the wreck of the old barge

The spiders delivered him into the others hands, and were rewarded with a steer in compensation. The steer was herded away, its protestations ignored as the spiders behind it poked and nipped at it's haunches.

Harry and Mooney stood there silently, waiting for Sirius to speak. He finally did. "Point taken."

Harry nodded, "Good, now remember this lesson, I won't teach you this one again."

Sirius felt like a child reprimanded by his father, but somehow glad that someone was looking out after his well being.

And that's why they won't be feeding Death Eaters to the spiders.

Dumbledore didn't find out about the Spider's disappearance until two days before the final task. Hagrid had been sent out to the forest to retrieve three mid to large size spiders to be used in the task, and kept going deeper and deeper into the forest, looking for his prey, and finding none, in any form. He did enter the former colonies where the spiders had nested, and the ground and trees were dead of any vegetation, just blackened stumps and sticks.

Nothing wanted to live where the concentrated poison of half a century of toxic spider shit lay, There were, however signs, like crocus or daffodil popping up in between the snowdrifts in spring, some of the hardier plants were burrowing through the layers of dead organics and finding root down beneath, their green and colorful shoots against the dead gray of ash. If a naturalist had come by to examine the area, he would liken it to the aftermath of a volcanic eruption or a forest fire.

Hagrid strode amongst the trees, his feet kicking up puffs of debris and rust from the ground, streamers of old webbing trailing from the branches like ancient flags. He neared the center of the area, he recognized it from the shape, a swathe curved across the forest floor and was shielded from weather by an overburden of rock and stone, literally the foundation of the mountain range to the east of the castle. There in the deepest part was the remains of an old blue Ford Anglia, apparently the same one Harry and Ron had flown in back in their second year. It looked quite unrepairable.

Hagrid looked high and low and shook his head, wondering how the spiders all left and why?" The Headmaster told him it was for the Greater Good that the spiders resided in this forest, as they were to be protection for him and Hogwarts. He came upon a group of Centaurs working in a protected area, clearing the grounds, planting and setting up shelter.

"Oi, Hello, what's going on?"

The eldest male of the herd stood between Hagrid and his mares, protecting them from the unknown human. "Stay away Human, you and your kind are not welcome here."

"What do you mean my kind, and why can't I come here? This forest belongs to Hogwarts."

Hagrid was interrupted from behind. Firenze and his band of warrior-philosophers surrounded Hagrid, keeping him from going anywhere. The fact that all of the warriors had a bow or spear right handy was not wasted on the half-giant.

"This forest is the heritage of my people, and all the magical creatures that have traditionally inhabited it, the spiders were an alien invasion that corrupted and killed many of my people, as well as many of the other creatures who live here." Firenze looked Hagrid straight in the eye and spoke. "The one who released that plague upon our lands has much to atone for, and shall."

Hagrid uncharacteristically, said nothing.

"I need to go an tell Dumbledore, he should know this." He feinted toward leaving in the direction of the castle, but was stopped.

"Hear me O' Rubeus Hagrid, your fealty shall cost you more than your life, but your heart also. You should reconsider who you let hold your chains of obedience."

Not understanding, Hagrid just got a look on his face and moved forward, knocking two of the equine warriors aside. Firenze shook his head in sadness. "He does not know he is being used as a pawn."

They watched as Hagrid ambled away, pausing to scoop something up off the ground and continuing on out of sight.

"What do you mean all the spiders are gone, Hagrid?" the old man peered at the half giant, his eyes twinkling.

"It's like they all up an' disappeared, I couldn' find a one, even in the deepest part o' the forest.. I don' know what we will do about the west corridor, we need those spiders."

Hagrid was speaking of one of the traps in the maze, as if it were the whole point of the conversation. "Leave that to me, Rubeus, I will take care of it..did you find anything that would indicate how and where they went?..did their trails lead off anywhere, up into the mountains or?...

"Well there was one trail where I was followin' when I ran into Firenze an' his troops"

This got the old man's attentions. "Troops?" "Where they armed and aggressive or were they hunting?"

"I'd say they was takin' over the territory, homesteadin', there was a young family buildin' a home an' plantin' crops, when Firenze an' his boys surrounded me, claimed tha' the land was theirs by right an' the aliens had been driven off.. I didn' stick around to ask too many questions since they had all drawn on me. Centaurs are tough to take down one on one, let alone fifteen on one."

The old man looked pensive, having scanned Hagrid's mind as he was speaking, and observing the memories as Hagrid recalled them.

"Well, then, perhaps I should go and talk to Magorian; see what he has to say.."

Hagrid mumbled and shuffled a bit, he still felt like a third year when he was in the Headmaster's office, a feeling that was renewed anytime he was in contact with the Headmaster.

"What is it Rubeus, did you find something?" Hagrid had stuffed his hand deep in one of his coat pockets, and froze, the expression on his face again, that of a third year in trouble.

He drew out his hand and the arrow clenched in his fist. And laid it gently on the desk.

"I found tha' in the brush, sir, It doesn' look like a reglar' arrow, it looks magical, an' th' centaurs use handmade arrows."

Dumbledore peered at the arrow; lifting his glasses to look at it with his bare eyes, then dropping them in place to see what they revealed (if anyone knew what runes he had on his glasses, and what he could see with them, he would be run out of town on a rail). One of the enchantments engraved, as such, showed magical auras, the magic within an object. It came in handy for finding hidden things, invisible people, ambushes, and recognizing magical people in the mundane world.

This arrow has a portkey charm on it, a sticking charm, and something else. I wonder..." He pulled out his wand and was about to scan it, trying to find out the magical signature of the arrow, who made it and where it was targeted, when the thing dissipated into a wisp of inert dust, leaving nothing. It so happened that at that exact moment on Spider Island...

"Why are we here again, other than you want to teach me a lesson?" Sirius whined at his Godson. They had just pranked Sirius and dropped him unarmed into the middle of a herd of ravenous Acromantulas without any defense, to illustrate the reason why there would be no feeding Death Eaters to the spiders. Mooney, Harry, and Sirius converged on the target stone that every portkey arrow had been tied to, and the same target to which every spider had been sent. The earth over the target stone had been churned up for a radius of thirty yards from the thousands of eight legged claws that had landed there, and milled about in the vicinity until they were given direction by their elders.

Harry and Mooney magicked the slab of stone up out of the ground and pulled up the target stone, and Harry shut it down, it would now no longer draw the remaining portkeys or their payload to this spot, and when the power to the runes controlling the target was shut down,, every portkey arrow that had been made, evaporated into nothingness.

This action made it that much harder for Dumbledore to track the spiders or determine who had taken them, his ready made army of unstoppable frightening beasts, away. Dumbledore sat back in his chair, disgruntled and angry. His gaze swept up the half giant and the old man 'eeped' in shock as he slammed his eyes closed and removed his glasses. He looked down at his lap as he disabled the charm, thinking to himself,

"My gods, he's hairy."

The third task was just days away, Harry had sent out fliers, scouting out the maze and the likely traps, The defense professor, Moody, had given him several hints on how to get through the maze quickly, and even hinted that he would be glad to help him. Harry didn't respond, just agreed that he would consider it.

Harry and Hermione were up in the tower working on the Marauders map, trying to determine how it was made; testing it and figuring out the charms and enchantments on the old parchment. They had been studying this thing for hours and finally took a break for lunch and to hit the library for some reference books when they ran across their Defense Professor.

"Potter, are you ready for the task?" Moody snapped at the young man.

Harry nodded and mumbled, "As ready as I'll ever be." He turned to go back to his tower, when Moody grabbed him by his arm and turned him face to face. "It is imperative you win, Potter, by whatever means necessary, you have to win, cheat if you have to."

Harry could feel the magic pumping out from the older man, he just adopted a glazed look and nodded. The scarred man looked closely and nodded himself and walked away.

Hermione had been watching this confrontation from between the stacks in the library, and came up to her boyfriend. Harry dropped the glazed look. "Something's wrong about that man, he just tried to use power words on me, he should know better than that doesn't work with me." Both were familiar with power words, the technique of pushing magic into the words you speak, a skill that many great orators had used over the centuries.

"I don't know, Harry. Let's get back to the tower and see what we can find out." They made their way up to the hidden tower and looked over the Map which was open on Harry's worktable, along with several of their own tries at replicating it.

One variation that Hermione had created had diagnostic charms on it to be used in medical situations, where a healer could do a quick triage on a waiting group of injured to see which ones needed to be dealt with first. This map, though incomplete, was a wonder of charms, and Hermione had spent quite a bit of time with Madam Pomfrey working on it.

Harry sat and watched as Moody walked the corridors, at least it looked as if it were Moody, the name on the map was "B. Crouch Jr." Harry was about to point this out when Hermione gasped in surprise. "That's not Moody, that's a Death Eater." She was looking at her medical version of the map, and saw that beside the name was an overlapping name. Over the name, B Crouch Jr, was the name Alastor Moody and in brackets (polyjuice) .

Harry was pointing out his discovery just as she was pointing out her discovery. Their eyes followed the corridor the spy was traversing towards the professor's rooms and saw the name Alastor Moody and in brackets under the name (Draught of living Death).

Hermione had created a database of the top two hundred potions the average healer would deal with in an average year and the Twins were quietly providing her with a database of their own creations in thanks for her support, and for her not hexing them to bits when they deserved it. Harry looked at the names and potions. His eyes went over the map looking at other peoples names and here and there he saw various girls with (Witches Comfort) a monthly medication he recognized the name of, and of some of the older girls, there were contraceptive potions and several of the boys with various enhancers and mildly illegal potions or, in some cases, how much alcohol was in their system.

"Can you tell how long?"

Hermione nodded and tapped her wand on the real Moody in the office. The date readout said he had been stunned and in a potion induced stasis for more than four months, since the Christmas Holidays at least. The fake Moody entered the door to the office and Hermione did a diagnostic readout on him, and found that his last dose of Polyjuice was almost an hour before.

Their eyes met."We need help" Harry pulled out his mirror and called out "Padfoot, Mooney, Emergency!"

There was a fast rustle and both men's faces appear in the mirror. "Whats wrong, are you in trouble?" Sirius was on the verge of frantic.

"We're safe in the tower but we found out that Moody is an imposter, according to our maps he's," he peered at the map, "Barty Crouch Jr, using Polyjuice as Alistor Moody, and we found Moody in the Defense professor's office; according to Hermione's map, he's been stunned and dosed with Draught of the Living Death for four months. Plus, not a half hour ago, I was told by the fake Moody that it was imperative that I win the tournament tomorrow. He used Power Words, Sirius, Mooney."

Harry gave the men a look. "I'm a bit nervous about this, guys, If I have to I will go up against this guy, but I'd rather not."

"We'll be there within the hour, pup, meet us at the front gate, ok?"

"Sure thing. Later"

Sirius and Mooney arrived at the gates; Harry let them inside the wards, and handed each a broom. Disillusioned, the three flew up to Harry's tower and settled down to see what the ruckus was about. The two Marauders were amazed at the pile of map fragments and experiments the two teens had gone through. They had collaborated with Genn Dubois on several parts of the process, and the French girl was taking the knowledge with her back to Beauxbatons, as a learning exercise, as well as practical use, making battle maps for anywhere that Voldemort might attack.

The teens and the Marauders pored over the parchment in it's various forms and found some odd things, passageways that they didn't recognize, different passwords and the like. Lupin was curious. "How did you fill in these places? We were never able to access these areas."

Hermione's eyes lit up. "It was one of Harry's inspired ideas!. She leapt up and bounded over to a bench with various vials and glass jars on it, picked one up and carried it gently over to the table. She placed it proudly in front of the two older men.

They peered into the glass container; then looked at her with concern. "Flies?"

"Yes, flies, Each fly is artificial, just like the dragonfly." She gestured over to the dragonfly that Harry had created. "They don't have eyes good enough to transmit, but they do have some special tracking charms on them. Each is tied to the map, here, and the data is compiled as each flies into a new area" They peered at the flies in the jar again with newfound respect for their godson and his girlfriend.

"So you could infiltrate any house or building with these and they could transmit enough data to create a map like.." Sirius gestured at several of the maps. The teens nodded with big grins on their faces.

Sirius thought of the possibilities, but reality came back to the fore. "You called us because?"

Harry's face fell, and he looked sad. He pulled two maps out of the pile and showed them the professor's quarters, pointing out the real Moody and the fake, On the medical map they showed the potions mix. As they watched, the fake Moody, or rather Barty Crouch Jr, changed and was listed as having polyjuice in his system. The fake headed out the door and left the castle headed, they assumed, for points unknown.

"We ought to go rescue Moody now.. does anyone know the antidote for Draught of the living Death?"

Hermione's face turned determined and she headed into the potions lab. They planned a quick sting, get in and get out, steal the trunk entirely that Moody was incarcerated in. use a levitation pallet to lift it out the window, and be gone. Mooney would stay in the tower with Hermione, and watch the maps and handle communications,, just as it was handled for the great spider roundup.

Harry and Sirius would use their brooms and a levitation pallet, basically a stiff flying carpet, but stronger. They would enter by the window and just pick up the trunk, Moody and all. Harry asked why they couldn't just shrink the thing and stick it in their pocket, and the answer made more questions.

"Moody's trunk has seven compartments, and there is a lot of stored energy in that, compressing it small enough to pick up would probably damage the contents, not because of size, but because of overlapping magical fields. Also, and more importantly, you can't shrink a person without special charms; it can really hurt a person. There is a specific charm you have to use to make a person say a foot tall, but it's not the same charm as if you wanted to make them six inches tall.." This was all from Mooney, who was quite adept at charms and spells and transfiguration.

Sirius kicked in. "You can do it, but it takes time, and we don't have time...ready?"

"I suppose. The third task starts in three hours and we need to get this done quickly."

Before they left, Sirius did what he was told to do by Amelia Bones. He called her and told her briefly what they were doing and asked for advice.

"You can be extremely vigilant, because Alastor is quite paranoid; he has the right, he does have people out to get him."

She then gave a password phrase that only she would know. In order to make it private, Sirius had Amelia tell it to only Hermione, who they had decided would be the best person to wake Moody up.

They got their brooms and pallet and disillusioned the lot, Harry took his invisibility cloak and stuffed it into his pouch, and they took off, circling out of sight of any windows. Reaching the particular tower where the professor's quarters were, they slid vertically down the wall, slowly, so as to not attract any attention. Finally, they reached the window of the Defense professor's quarters. They peered inside, looking around corners and being cautious, vanished the glass and frame of the window. Sirius checked for wards and traps, as Moody was known to be paranoid, and there was no reason to assume that his Death Eater doppelganger was any otherwise.

There were several wards on the window and Harry stayed outside the room, controlling the pallet which was too big to fit through the opening, Sirius levitated the trunk out the window and Harry stuck it hard on the pallet. Sirius re-established the wards, and replaced the window; then they left the area like shadows. Once well above the points of the turrets, the swung around to their home tower and gently flew into the room where Mooney and Hermione waited.

While Sirius and Harry were doing their extraction, Hermione and Mooney were fretting about several things up in the tower.

"Is the potion done?"

"Almost , another five minutes."Mooney watched the maps as Sirius appeared inside the professors' quarters and quickly disappeared along with the unconscious Moody.

Hermione watched the moving dots and pursed her lips, thinking.

"We need to extend the maps so they see outside the walls, too; not to mention having them show creatures. It wouldn't do to have people go out when there's dementors, or something out there we can't see."

This was Hermione's nature. If she couldn't do anything about the current situation, she worked out possible ways to improve their intelligence or chances. In short, creative fidgeting.

Mooney went too the balcony and leaned out, looking for them and quickly guided them back over the edge. They floated the pallet into the center of the tower room and placed it gently on the floor. Dobby had brought up a bed and set it up, assuming that the old Auror would need some recovery time.

They gathered around the trunk and looked to each other for direction. Hermione's face set firm.

"Right then. Open it up"

Sirius did something with the lock and stepped back, assuming the worst. They gazed down into the open room where the real Moody lay in a potion-induced stasis, gray and unkempt; his keeper had not been kind to the old man.

They looked to each other and Hermione took charge. She climbed down into the trunk with her pouch of potions and medical supplies. She looked about the room, crinkled her nose at the smell, and got to work. Kneeling next to the grizzled man, she did some diagnostics that Madam Pomfrey had taught her, as an ongoing thing, while waiting for Harry to wake from his various injuries.

She dictated her findings as was proper procedure. "Adult male, age approximately 92 years, 62 kilos, Missing one leg, one eye..." The girl went on for a while classifying and listing the various medical specifics.

"Ok, I'm ready." She looked up to Harry who was waiting for encouragement, The older men moved out of sight and Harry nodded. He had some answers for questions that the old auror might ask, and he wanted to keep things simple for the moment. The young woman took a measured dose of the potion antidote and worked it into the Auror's throat, then set the vial aside. She put her wand away, slipped up her left sleeve, and waited.

Slowly the weak man struggled into consciousness. His one remaining eye darted around the small room and focused on Hermione, with a fierce glare.

"Mr Moody, I am going to pull out my wand and give you my oath, please remain calm." She did so and slowly slipped her wand out of the sleeve of her jumper and held it up. "I, Hermione Jane Granger, swear on my life and Magic, that I am who I say I am and that I mean Alastor Moody no harm in his time of recuperation."

"In order to make you feel safe, I will repeat the oath I took while training with Madam Pomfrey _**Primum non nocere**_ **, **which means 'First, Do No Harm'. Madam Pomfrey has had me declare the Hippocratic oath while in my training, and I swear on my life and magic that I mean you no harm." She pulsed with a blue glow.

This seemed to calm the old man quite a bit.

"I'm going to do a quick body cleaning spell; please be patient with me, sir" She did the spell, and the greyness of the old man's skin faded and left him looking a bit healthier. By this time he could speak and did so.

"Thank you. Miss. Some water please?"

The girl poured a glass of water, and took a drink from it before she handed to him. "Constant Vigilance, I believe is the saying?"

The old man almost smirked and took a drink, as he leaned on his elbow. "Who's we?" He took another drink.

"Myself, my boyfriend and his Godfather and Uncle. Amelia Bones also knows of your situation and is awaiting your call." By this time the old man was able to sit upright.

"If you will permit me, I will whisper the pass-code Madam Bones gave me and me alone." Moody tilted his head cautiously to the young witch.

Hermione cast a silencing ward around themselves, and then whispered it into his ear. The old man visibly calmed down after heard it.

She dropped the ward. "So, names, please?" "Well, my boyfriend is Harry Potter, you remember him as the son of James and Lily Potter. His Godfather is Sirius Black and the Uncle is Remus Lupin."

"Black? He's a.."

"No he isn't. He was found innocent."

Harry stuck his head over the edge of the room to look in. "Are we ready to lift him out Hermione?"

She looked up, nodded, and started to transfigure the bed into a chair, but Harry had an inspiration. "Don't.. check the bed legs for traps." Her wand stopped in mid-swish and she stepped back, and looked under the bed frame, doing several diagnostic and warding spells. She looked up to Harry, scared. "There's something here, if I move it, I think there'll be something, an explosion,."

"That sounds like Crouch, alright, check the springs for a weight sensor."

Harry jumped into the room and gave the old auror a small wave. "Hi, I'm Harry." Turning to his girlfriend, he continued, 'back off there, Hermione; let me at it. Bill taught me how to deal with this."

Hermione slipped back and stood, looking worried as Harry slipped down and halfway under the bed. He did something and was back out in a jiffy. "There, let's get him upstairs."

Between the two teens, they did a body lift spell, a gentle one used for the aged, and sat Moody in the chair that was lowered down. Once the old man was properly in the chair, they lifted him out of the trunk into the tower room and gently set him down. Moody was sweating now, with an oily sheen, as the potions in his system were being forced out of his body; he shook and sweated from the effects.

Poppy Pomfrey was sitting in her office making notes when her medical notation quill started writing. She used the medical notation quill when working with a patient anywhere within the castle and grounds and one was always present wherever she was with one was back in her office as backup, so as to not miss anything.

Every student, staff, and random patient she had ever tended to had a record of everything ever done for them. Harry's file was quite large already, along with the notes and official recommendations she had sent to various people as to his care and treatment. She had noted , for instance, the first time he was within the walls of the castle, that he was woefully undernourished and sickly looking, and had set a regimen of potions for him to repair the damage done by his 'family'. She had started keeping multiple records because the interference of the Headmaster, who seemed to think he had the right to sanction the abuse of the boy and as such, obliviate Pomfrey.

She stood over the quill and watched as it wrote. She had taught Miss Granger the spell to start the dictation quill to work, and apparently forgot to mention that it made two copies.

"_Well, Miss Granger, lets see if I taught you anything_.

"_Date, correct, name Hermione Granger Healer Trainee" "very good, Miss Granger, shows ambition.._

_patient.. Alastor Moody?..what's he into.._

_yes, that's right..age 92, yes 62 kilo? He's lost too much weight..what's _

_this?"_

Pomfrey read the next line out loud.

"Preliminary diagnosis: Patient has been unconscious for at minimum 118 days under the effect of Draught of the living Death, held prisoner by Barty Crouch Jr."

the shock of this revelation went through Pomfrey with a chill.

The quill kept writing:

"Plan of action, administer antidote, approximately 3cc per stone. Patient is approximately 9 stone, therefore 27 cc. Administering 25 cc for cautions sake" The quill paused as the trainee healer was doing her work. She obviously began dictating again once the dose was administered.

"Patient is severely dehydrated, and his color is not good, very gray, and he had obviously lost weight.. Re-hydrating the patient will be a long process..I wish I could use an intravenous line and a saline bag like the mundane hospital does."

The quill picked up conversation in the room, but didn't write it down. It did, however, catch Hermione's side of the conversation.

"An IV, Harry, you use a large bore needle and stick it into a vein and then that is hooked to a sterile tube, and hanging up there is a bag of sterile saline solution, which will replace the liquids and electrolytes that he needs."

a pause then it began writing again.

"Because his body metabolism is significantly slowed down , hooking up an IV would drown him from the inside; his vein would fill up like a water balloon and force the blood up and down the vein. It could be deadly to have free saline in the vein. It needs the heart beating at least 15 beats per minute, at present, his heart rate is...one every three minutes. So I can't, not until he is awake and coherent."

another long pause.

"Mr Moody, I am going to pull out my wand and give you my oath, please remain calm."

"I Hermione Jane Granger swear on my life and Magic, that I am who I say I am, and that I mean Alastor Moody no harm in his time of recuperation"

In order to make you feel safe, I will repeat the oath I took while training with Madam Pomfrey _**Primum non nocere**_ **, **which means 'First, Do No Harm' Madam Pomfrey has had me declare the Hippocratic oath while in my training, and I swear on my life and magic that I mean you no harm.

The quill scratched on, recording the conversation between Hermione and her temporarily mute patient,

"I am going to do a quick body cleaning spell, please be patient with me, sir" Pomfrey saw her incantation of the gentle body cleaning spell used on patients while bedridden.

Moody spoke aloud for the first time since the procedure started.

Thank you Miss, some water please?

Constant Vigilance, I believe is the saying?

Pomfrey called for the infirmary house elf.

"Dilly?"

"Yes Madam P?"

"Miss Hermione Granger is somewhere in the castle with a patient., She is also with Harry Potter, will you see if you can find them, I need to talk to her urgently."

"Yes Madam P."

the elf popped away and was gone for several minutes,

She had recruited a dozen of the school's elf staff and they had covered the entire school in a very short time.

"Madam P, We have searched entire school and cannot find these people, they are hidden somewhere."

"Thank you Dilly."

The elf bowed and went back to her work.

Pomfrey thought for a while, watching the patient's record expand one line at a time. And the accompanying chart showed steady increase in heart rate and respiration, temperature rising to normal levels. She had an epiphany, opened her office window, and called out, "I need Harry Potter's Owl familiar"

In short order, Hedwig flew in through the window and perched on the stand present for owls' use.

"I assume you are Hedwig, Harry Potter's owl, I have seen you with him."

The great owl nodded once.

"I need to get him a message urgently and he is in a hidden place, do you think you can find him?"

Hedwig turned her head this way and that; then pointed in one direction, toward Gryffindor Tower, and nodded again and held out a leg.

Pomfrey sat at her desk and wrote out a note. She rose and was about to tie it onto Hedwig's leg as she spoke. "Harry is with Hermione Granger, somewhere, and they need my help. They have to tell me where they are, please take this to him."

Hedwig nodded and leaped out the window, and out of sight.

Hermione continued to care for the old man, giving him a few ounces of water at a time. When he had reached a certain point in his recovery, she gave him a flushing potion to force out the remains of the long term draught. His body shivered, shook, and exuded an unpleasant ochre mud which she cleaned off as quick as it came out.

"I'm sorry Mr Moody, we haven't retrieved your eye, wand or leg yet, we're working on that."

The old man grumbled , but said nothing.

Harry brought Hermione another picture of water and set it on the side table where she was working.

"I think that's enough water for now, Mr Moody, let your body absorb that and we'll get you some real food, I suspect you are hungry."

The old aurors stomach growled and sloshed. He looked decidedly uncomfortable as the shakes finally stopped.

"So who are you really? How did I get here? And what's Crouch doing with my body?"

"You were dosed with Draught of the Living Death and stuffed inside your trunk downstairs, in the professors quarters, and the fake Moody, Crouch Jr, has been impersonating you as our Defense professor. Surprisingly enough, he's actually a pretty good teacher, except for the lesson on the unforgivables he gave."

Hermione cringed at the memory, Harry just stated the facts.

"From what we can figure out, you were captured by Pettigrew and Crouch on or about August 30th last year, and Crouch took your place as Professor of DADA here at Hogwarts. You have been unconscious for the last, how many, Hermione?"

"118 days at least according to the diagnostics."

Harry was about to speak when Hedwig flew into the room and lighted on his shoulder.

"A note? from who?"

He opened the message and looked at it, and handed it to Hermione to read.

"Miss Granger, I have been watching your treatment of Mr Moody and I would ask that you let me come to wherever you are, or bring him to my infirmary. It is imperative that I see Mr Moody very soon."

Pomfrey

By this time Moody was sitting up and shaking his head 'no'. "I don't want to see her, but if I have been trapped here for a year, then I had better. Let her come, please."

Harry went to the tower's floo connection and called the healer.

"Madam Pomfrey, can you hear me?"

Even after four years of being the wizarding world and seeing the floo being used regularly, he was still amazed and a bit leery of the fire travel method.

She answered the call and he permitted her passage to the hidden tower.

She stepped through gracefully, clean and soot free, and greeted Harry. "Mr Potter, it's good to see you uninjured, and with Miss Granger as well. I suspect she's a good influence on you."

Harry blushed and nodded.

"Miss Granger, I am quite impressed at your use of your healer training, everything you did her has been just right, and well thought out."

Hermione's face turned red at the praise, and her smile lit up her face as well.

Pomfrey turned and faced the old Auror who was sitting on a comfortable chair, still in his long johns, but with a blanket over his lap.

"What happened to Constant Vigilance, Dad?"

end chapter 10

As with all fanfiction, these are not my characters, they are the property of JKRowling and her corporate lackeys.

In spite of what she wrote for the last two books, I do appreciate her letting us play in her sandbox.

TimW


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Power (They Do Not Use)

In the office of Mr Cromwell, tutoring Luna Lovegood on the art and science of Occlumency.

"So, Miss Lovegood, how have you survived these past four years without your mind shields in place, Any so-called 'normal' Seer would have gone insane at the exposure to so many minds in such closed spaces as a school."

Luna's hand brushed against her radish earrings that she wore almost continuously. "My mother made these for me when I was eight, and they help block quite a bit of the background noise, and when she was taken from me, we were learning about the runes to increase the power of my mental wards, and as a teaching exercise, I made this necklace, see, each bottlecap has runes on it, and each connects with the rune on the next one." She was obviously proud of her work. Sadness crept across her face. "I would like to take these off and put them away as keepsakes of my mother, but as yet, I need them to protect me."

"I understand, Miss Lovegood, very well." He did not say so, but much of his body was tattooed with runes doing much the same thing as Luna's jewelry.

"We are going to start a new exercise today, Miss Lovegood, I will cast a legilimens spell on you, and once we are connected mentally, I will draw you back into my mind, where I have some interesting things to show you."

Luna's gift flashed through her mind, showing her several of the potential outcomes of this exercise, and most of those potentials were overall, good and useful.

"Yes, lets begin, what shall I do first?"

"do the meditation I showed you, the one you were teaching Mr Potter and his friends?"

Hermione was ensconced in the hidden tower room with Mr Moody, monitoring his fluid intake and talking to the old auror, filling him in on what happened over the previous nine months.

"So you say Potter stole a dragon?"

"No, actually he just gave her the opportunity to follow her own path."

"That's bollocks" this was said with a big grin on his face. Hermione couldn't help grinning along with the old man.

"So where is the dragon now?"

"On her own island off the coast of Scotland, approximately forty miles from Azkaban, its one of several sitting right on a ley line."

A memory floated to the surface in Moody's mind. "I recall talking to James about some islands somewhere, where there was a house.. actually more like a fortress overlooking the ocean..the couple should have stayed there, no one would have ever found them. If I recall correctly, they were planning to, but somehow Dumbledore convinced them to stay at Godrics Hollow." the old man sighed. "I taught James better than that, he was an awesome fighter and brilliant in so many things, the things he and Lily could have done." Hermione could almost see her charge falling into depression.

"Mr Moody, what should Harry do about Crouch?"

"Stay clear of him, don't let the bastard get near him, he's setting your boy up for something."

"Did you hear that Harry?"

Hermione's voice went out and into Harry's ear. On the big screens that showed each champion, they saw Harry make a seemingly meaningless gesture that the brunette girl recognized as an affirmative.

One of the things that the Marauders had taught the teens was their old hand language that they had used in their own years as pranksters.

The Champions were all standing at attention in the opening parts of the maze, waiting for their leave to start. Bagman or some other Ministry bag of hot air was blathering on and everyone wanted to get on with it.

Mooney and Sirius were out there with the participants, scanning the crowd, watching for the knock-off Moody. Amelia Bones had been notified as well, and the Aurors were watching closely.

The opening comments were finished, and the champions were in their places, every one of them had heard of Harry's story of the fake Moody

and were appropriately warned.

Harry was first into the maze and he ran ahead to make way. He really didn't care much if he won the Tournament or not, but he did want too challenge himself against the obstacles. Basically, he was treating it as a training exercise. He came to an intersection and turned left, following the path that was reasonably direct toward the center of the maze.

He came suddenly upon a hazard, a swamp, which had quicksand in the middle. He didn't even break his stride, he cast a weightless charm on himself and leapt over the hazard, tucking his legs up to go farther. His rune-inscribed glasses revealed some kind of magic in the logical landing zone. He tucked and willed his trajectory higher, and landed beyond the magic, hitting feet first and then rolling quickly. He quickly turned to scan the area for threats, finding none. He paused. There was a moment and he checked his map, nodding, put it away and set out on a run again.

There was a corner with a cul-de-sac right nearby and when he passed the opening, a dementor appeared and moved forward, grisly hands reaching for him. Instead of stopping to fight the thing, his left hand slipped into his pouch and pulled out an item the size of a robins egg. He glanced at it to make sure it was the right one and tossed it towards the dementor, along with an 'activate'. The small egg hit the dementor and whisked it away to a point unknown. He picked up the pace and heard spellfire from two hedgerows over, Fleur's voice.

Harry couldn't discern the spell as it was shouted in French and somewhat garbled, but the thing he heard translates in any language, fear, and no small amount of panic. The friendship of the French girl was far more important than any tournament, so Harry cheated, just a little. He used the weightless spell and leapt straight up and over the hedge, landing in the next aisle, bouncing again and landing in the aisle where Fleur was.

"Reveilo" his eyes were drawn to a lump of writhing devils' snare. He realized that it was Fleur, semi-conscious and losing rapidly to the vines choking her. He sliced away at the vines around her throat, letting her breathe and commanded her to close her eyes tight. "Lumos Solarium" A very great light shone in the narrow path between the hedges, and the Devils snare retreated from the light. He had remembered the things from first year when he and Hermione had jumped into the trapdoor under Fluffy's paw.

Fleur sat on the path, gasping for air, painfully swallowing, as the vines had cut deeply into her flesh and the damage was going to cause her trouble "Can you stand?" She nodded and she forced herself up.

"Shall I send up the distress call?" "No, I am going wit you" she hoarsely whispered.

"Very well, watch our backs, I will watch our front." She nodded and smacked him on the back of his shoulder, indicating she was ready.

Harry was talking to Hermione by way of his throat mike,

"Fleur is hurt, she was choked by devils snare. Tell Madam Maxime and Madam Pomfrey" this was panted out as he kept running. Fleur kept pace running along with him. He slowed and pulled out the map again, showing it to the Beauxbatons Champion. He pointed to a path and she looked closely and nodded, pointing to a few spots where there were likely traps. "Ok we will go with caution."

They set out once again and were in a stretch without any side exits, when Fleur slapped him on his shoulder, as her voice was too painful to use.

He turned to see the biggest Blast ended Skrewt ever. It must have been Hagrid's pride and joy, either that, or it was magically enhanced and enlarged. Harry suspected both.

He heard a noise behind him, and turned to see it's twin. They were trapped between scylla and charybis, a rock and a hard place, somewhere they didn't really want to be.

Shala spoke in his mind, as she was monitoring the events of the task as well.

/hairy one, they are creatures of heat and fire. Send them home./

/fire?..oh, got it/

"Ok, here's what we're going to do, you can't cast because your voice is damaged, and I 'm not going to leave you behind."

he could leap over the beast as he did the swamp, but he really didn't know how to do it for both of them at once, at least not safely.

He pulled open his bag. And pulled out two of the eggs.

He ran toward the closer skrewt and threw the egg, activating it as it flew toward the creature. It pulsed blue before it hit and the Skrewt vanished in a whirl of light. He pulled Fleur past him so she was on the now open side of the path, and he didn't have to rush the skrewt as it was rushing towards him. Again, the egg pulsed blue and the skrewt disappeared. Harry leaned over , his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "Are you well 'arree?" She forced the words out as she cared for her younger friend and future employer.

He stood and shook off the adrenaline rush and looked around for any new threats. "I'm ok, Fleur, I'll be allright in a mo'."

"What di' you do, tha' looked li' po'key Fleur's voice was now just a hoarse whisper, and it obviously hurt her to talk, as the damage to her throat was severe.

"Don't talk, or I will send you back to the castle."

Harry had to be stern with the older girl.

He took her by the hand and they walked briskly toward their goal.

"I portkeyed the skrewts to Etna." he spoke as they walked.

"Shala told me they were creatures of heat and fire, I guess that's why they always acted irritable in our classes, they were cold." "I'm surprised that Hagrid didn't teach us that little fact."

Back in the tower room Hermione had to stop herself from saying anything, as the truth was, that Hagrid had indeed told them that fact,

but Harry was off in the infirmary that day, and Ron, the git was supposed to take Harry his notes and homework.

"What is it Miss Granger?" Moody asked Hermione as her face contorted in anger at the betrayal from their ginger friend.

"I shouldn't say. It's not polite"

"I think you are causing yourself stress where you don't need it."

"I...I..suppose.." a tear escaped her eye.

"The git, Ronald was supposed to take Harry his notes and homework the day we learned about the Skrewts habitat.. it's obvious he didn't because Harry would have known that. It's obvious.."

"so is this git, Ronald Harry's friend or not?"

"he was supposed to tell Harry that the first task was dragons, but he didn't, he obviously shirked his duties in this case also..what's that?"

Her eyes were drawn to the mirror showing Harry's POV. Fleurs POV mirror showed Harry's back, which was no doubt entertaining for some of the female viewers.

The view in the mirror was of the path widening out into a circle, with a low pedestal in the center of the circle. It was the creature on the pedestal that got Hermione's attention.

A Sphinx, a female sphinx,

"Hello, how are you this fine night?"

Harry stepped forward to speak with the girl, for that's what she was, even if she had the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle, she looked as much a girl as Lavender Brown back in Gryffindor tower. She looked bored and angry and like she wanted to be somewhere else.

"Oh, it's you... I guess I should do what I was hired for.."

"you were hired for this?"

"yeah, they said 'go to Scotland, see the sights, make some money, one night's work.." she looked angrily at her claws, sharpening them on the stone.

The Sphinx stood and began to ask her question when Harry stopped her.

"so where are you from, Egypt?" the girl/sphinx laughed. "Oh no, I am from Nevada...in the States..Las Vegas?" Realization dawned on the two champions, they had both heard of Las Vegas, who hadn't?

"So you live in.." "I live and work in Las Vegas, big stage shows, productions, a hundred dancing girls, the works.. I answered an ad in Variety, a casting call , they offered me decent money , free transportation all I had to do was one night's work, ask some people a question and let them pass or not, depending on if they answered correctly."

a dour look on the girls face was apparent.

"And what's the problem?"

"well they said that if the person didn't answer right I had to try and kill them, and I was raised better than that, I'm a good girl, I don't go around killing people." she was sitting up now, her front arms..legs crossed angrily and a pout on her face.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, someone is trying to kill me every year I have been here at the school"

"it sounds like you have the luck of Harry Potter.."

"I would suppose so, I am Harry Potter after all, how do you know about me?"

"You're famous in the papers and on the vid, all my teachers tell about the things you have gone through and survived..it's like you're unbreakable or something.." the girl shivered. "They also didn't tell me that the costume I was wearing would be so skimpy, and its cold out here.!

Harry and Fleur looked at each other in surprise.

"It's June in Scotland, it's actually fairly warm right now..by comparison to winter. Didn't anyone offer to give you a warming charm?"

The girl shivered and shook her head no, a few blond hairs slipped out of her plait.

"May I?"

She nodded, "please"

"I am from Nevada, it never gets below 80 during the day and usually it's quite warm at night also.."

Harry cast warming charm all around the girl, and as each area was

warmed, the girl purred in contentment. "Thank you, I thought I was going to freeze."

Harry turned to Fleur, and back to the now smiling Sphinx. "I'm sorry, I have been quite rude. Miss, this is Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons France, she cannot speak right now, as her voice was damaged, but she is as pleased to meet you as I am."

"Thank you, I am called Hera, it is a traditional family name."

"You are Veela, how was your voice damaged?"

Fleur tried to speak, but could not, she was waving her hands around her throat, as if trying to describe something.

"Wait a minute, I think I have something here that can help you.."

the sphinx girl pulled a large bag out of somewhere and was digging in it, a common sight among women of the world, everywhere, peering in, pulling things out and placing them back in some semblance of order.

Down near the bottom she cried in victory. "Aha, here it is.."

she pulled out a spray pump bottle, "an old home remedy my Auntie worked up for the sore throats and colds we got from going into and out of the AC in the clubs..it's a common ailment, Las Vegas Flu.."

you spray it on your throat and it repairs the inflammation and damage from coughing and whatnot..It should work fine on you Veela-girl, if you were human, I would not offer, but you should be ok."

Fleur was dubious at first, but took the bottle and gave it a hesitant squirt.

The mist hit the outside of her throat and the angry welts that were there because the binding vines visibly faded. She worked her jaw a couple times and rolled her head, stretching out the strained muscles and tried a few words..

"Merci, that helps a bit..I thank you. I am Fleur Delacour, I am pleased to meet you"

"And I am please to speak to you.." the two girls lapsed into rapid fire French and Harry was lost except for about every fifth word.

All this was going on and Hermione could hear every word back at the tower, but the big screens that the spectators to the task had no sound, and they, and the judges assumed what was going on was negotiation with the Sphinx to solve her riddle and get by, as was required by the task.

They watched as the Sphinx demanded that the French champion solve some problem, because they talked on for several minutes

The second English champion, Potter seemed to charm the female creature and was passed by fairly easy. The spectators were whispering amongst themselves about what was going on. The screen showing Cedric of Hogwarts was inert, not moving at the moment, the screen for Viktor of Durmstrang was wandering, seemingly at random, that is until Viktor stumbled, literally across Cedric who was sprawled in a heap on the ground, the obvious victim of an attack.

The impact of landing face first on the hard ground woke Viktor out of his stupor. He shook himself and called out to anyone for some kind of reference point.

He looked back to see why he was face first in the grass and found Cedric there, obviously in pain and semi-conscious. He cast an Ennervate on the Hogwarts Champion and woke him.

"Cedric..Cedric..can you function?" Viktor spoke with a hoarse rasp which accentuated his natural Bulgarian accent.

"aaaugh...my head...mybody.. my...augh!' Cedric collapsed limply on the ground, where Viktor was kneeling next to him.

Cedric looked up at the Durmstrang Champion and the young man who had become a friend. "Viktor..Watch your back.." he gasped. The pain made him weak, so he lay there limply, looking up at the sky.

""Someone jumped me, used a Crucio..never felt so much pain in my life...We need to warn Harry and Fleur, there's someone in the maze with us."

Cedric forced himself to sit up.

"Pozvolete mi da vi izvika lekar" Viktor had slipped back into his native language.. "Let me call you a healer"

"no, I'm not a healer, 'm a student like you.. a seeker, but y'r better"

Viktor laughed as he held the young Englishman upright, as he had struggled to his feet.

"I like you Cedric Diggory, let's find Harry and Fleur."

They staggered off, supporting each other, heading toward the light.

Fleur and the Sphinx finished their discussion, and Fleur handed the young 'lady' a note and said her goodbyes.

Harry handed the Sphinx a portkey he had made (he was becoming quite proficient at it) to her as well. When questioned where she wanted to go to, Harry had to ask a few embarrassing questions, the first of which was.

"How much do you weigh?". He then had to explain that if he didn't set the ratio correctly, she would spin outrageously fast the entire trip, and the more accurate he could gauge the speed and distance, the more comfortable trip. The second question was 'how will I set you in a place that I have never been."

"I want you to put me in a place that you will recognize from the books and pictures you have seen. My Uncle and Auntie live in Egypt, and they have their home very near the statue of my great to the nth grandfather Spiro."

"Spiro?" "yes, you know him as 'The Sphinx, right next to the pyramids, it should be easy to recognize."

"I do recall several pictures I have seen, so, your weight?, I won't tell anyone."

The young quadruped whispered "480 pounds"

"Ah, 32 stone exactly, that's convenient, if it were 31 stone seven, the calculations are a bit more tricky."

Hermione's voice was in Harry's ear.

"Her bag, Harry?"

He looked down and guessed. "excuse me, may I?" Hera nodded. Harry lifted the bag and guessed the weight and whispered "at least a stone."

Hermione calculated the sums quickly and added in the distance point to point and gave him a sequence of numbers.

"before you go, have you been paid by the organizers of this farce?"

realization crossed the girl's face.

"no, they haven't."

"well, when you get there, contact the local branch of Gringotts, I will see to it you get your fee, ok?"

"Thank you HarryPotter." she lunged forward and hugged him, before stepping back and activating the portkey.

The watching crowd saw on the screens a raging Sphinx leaping forward and tearing into an innocent boy, and many screamed as they were sure they saw his impending death. When the screen cleared, the Sphinx was gone and Harry was walking calmly down a path toward the light, with Fleur at his side.

Hera traveled through the ether between the in-between and landed softly at her destination. She walked out of the Pizza Hut and and disappeared into the desert carrying a large flat box.

Harry and Fleur walked carefully along the path toward the light glowing fairly close by. According to his map, this was probably the cup and the goal of the competition.

"Fleur, what was that you gave Hera before she left?"

"my email address, so we can stay in contact."

"I see.. before this is all over, you will give me your email as well as address and phone, correct?"

"If you give me yours, as well as your Hermione's"

"that's up to her, but I'm thinking we will be quite close for the next hundred years or so, what with you working for me and all."

"do you really want me to work for you?"

They had come on another trap and Harry stepped gingerly around it, so as not to trigger the thing, he held out a hand to keep Fleur from falling as well. It was the polite thing to do.

"yes, I do, I know that you will rise to whatever you need to make the job work for you..I have found out a great deal about my family holdings, and as far as I can tell, nothing has been done with them for fifteen years, My father was busy fighting a shadow war against Voldemort and didn't have time, my Grandfather and Grandmother were killed about two years before I was born.

"The Potter family holdings are pretty much in stasis. I have my solicitors checking things out, but they were running themselves into the ground trying to keep up, and so I told them to put everything on hold except the essentials until I could work with them full time on it."

"I want someone I can trust to be honest and forthright with me overseeing this, I know you want to go into economics, and from what I can see, that means a government job, but without the benefits of working for a big corporation. I have a big corporation in need of someone to run the economics division, to see that it is run efficiently, honestly, profitably, and most importantly, in a way that helps the magical peoples of the world."

Fleur stopped dead in the path and face Harry.

"Peoples?, which peoples?"

"People like you and I, Like Hera and Mooney, People like Hermione as well as the Weasleys, people like Dobby and Winky..it doesn't matter the species, the race, the bloodline, none of it matters, but the magic within us..even the mundanes."

He looked far of into the distance. "I'm afraid that to make this work, I am going to have to destroy the world as we know it, and quite a few people are going to be very unhappy with me."

Her eyes widened with a kind of fear and not a little excitement.

"destroy the world?"

"yes. The magical government in the UK is corrupt beyond redemption, run by the inmates in the asylum. It's a bloody miracle that the magical world in not exposed in full view to the mundane world on a daily basis."

even those in charge in the Ministry think of Muggles a quaint and harmless, but they don't realize the power that those muggles wield."

"c'mon, lets get out of this maze."

he turned and walked away. Fleur stood there for a moment, stunned,

Luna sat in a comfortable chair in the office of Mr Cromwell.

That's all the name she knew of him, no first name, no honorifics, no Doctor Cromwell, Healer Cromwell, not even Unspeakable Cromwell.

"Mr Cromwell, it is happening again."

"yes Miss Lovegood? What can you see?"

"the threads are shifting, many are being trimmed away and ending. Many are beginning."

In her minds eye, the golden threads of probability were moving, as she described.

"I can see a massive nexus approaching, it is so confusing, so many potentials, it hurts to look at it."

The glare from the potential realities was quite bright, like the exploding stars at the core of a galaxy. So many would go off, setting in motion a chain reaction, causing others to go nova, thus destroying that potential reality.

"How do you think that you can affect the outcomes, Miss Lovegood?"

"I don't know that I can, only that I have to try...Harry is my friend, Hermione is as well. If they don't survive, none of us will"

This was all delivered in a calm, even voice, and Luna's eyes were focused inwards, watching the potential mayhem or deliverance.

"attempt to strip out the affects of the other players, Miss Lovegood, pare it down to the bare essentials."

Luna concentrated and worked at eliminating the distractions of the multiple threads, and as each player in the drama was removed, the plot became simpler. The mass of threads was less overrun, and still quite complex, but in comparison, quite a bit simpler.

"I have eliminated all the inessentials, and the main players are present."

her unseeing eyes gazed into the distance.

"can you name the players, Miss Lovegood?"

"Harry."

"Hermione"

"Dumbledore"

"Tom"

"Snape"

she paused for a long while.

"Sirius"

"Can you remove the influence of any of those names?"

"I don't think so"

"very well. Remember the exercise that we did?"

"yes"

Inside the space that was Luna's mind, compartments began to form. Each and every thread was anchored there in it's own individual box.

Harry's thread was intertwined intimately with Hermione's and so they were right next to each other. Dumbledore's thread was off to one side and it had vines growing off it trying to violently force Harry's thread into a path, a channel of sorts. That channel was intersecting on down the way, with Tom's channel. Tom's thread was firmly placed in the channel chosen for him, and the one that Harry was being guided toward had several intersections before they both came to an abrupt end.

Luna could see points where threads would intersect with Harry's thread and either push or pull him this way or that way, sometimes toward the channel carved into the solid rock of fate, sometimes well away from it.

Luna also saw that if she could intersect herself with a word or an action, she could make manifest different paths. If she looked back on her own thread, she could see all kinds of chaos and a strange kind of order.

In spots, she saw clearly the points at which someone was cruel to her, and when someone was kind to her.

She turned and looked towards the intertwined pair. Anyplace that they were separated forcibly, by outside sources or situations, Harry's thread would dive perilously towards the carved channel. The intersection with death and destruction, the inevitable potential of all things.

Luna's task, was to keep that thread alive and heading towards the light, past the end, past the end of potential.

Past the end of everything.

Tonight, in a few hours, there was a nexus. A point at which everything changed, and it was unavoidable.

Luna's eyes opened wide, and she came back to reality.

"I need to talk to Hermione" She grabbed her bag and darted out the door, and then stuck her head back in for a moment.

"Thank you Mr Cromwell, I will see you Tuesday."

and she was gone.

Mr Cromwell sat pondering what he had seen. This girl was as important as was all his patients, even more so, because her gift forced her to deal with things outside the current reality..potentials, she called them.

He looked inward and wondered what he could garner from the girl's mother.

He walked down an endless hallway of doors, finally stopping at one.

He knocked, and then entered.

"Hello Mrs. Lovegood, I have been talking to your Daughter Miss Luna Selene Lovegood..."

the door closed behind him.

Harry and Fleur exited the maze and entered a wide circular area patrolled by a large spider, which upon closer inspection was an enlarged and enchanted regular spider, not an acromantula. Harry ended that threat by casting several overpowered finite charms on it, and stepped on the bug once it was it's actual size.

They saw in the center of the area, the Triwizard cup, sitting on a pedestal, waiting to be claimed in victory.

He and Fleur made their way up to the cup and stood there looking at the thing.

"I'm not touching it, it's a portkey, and I don't know where it goes."

Harry spoke this aloud.

""ow can you tell?"

He took off his glasses and handed them to her. She put them on and saw the glow of magic around the cup, and though she couldn't identify the type of magic, she took Harry at his word.

She looked about at various things with his familiar round black NHS special glasses (the cheapest around, of course) and saw the magic that caused the hedges to grow, the various creatures and traps hidden in the maze, the stepping stones they were to use, or to miss. She handed the glasses back.

"So you really don't need them?"

she indicated to his eyes.

He put the glasses on and spoke.

"No, I haven't for a year now, I got my eyes fixed and keep the glasses as a distraction to any opponent, plus, they're useful to find things hidden.."

"what about quidditch, isn't that cheating?"

"I have a standard blank pair for quidditch, I don't need to cheat."

Fleur had suspected this, that he was unyeildingly honest, even at his own expense.

"Yes, I will work for you, and if you say that the cup is a portkey, I will also not touch it."

There was a rustle behind them and they turned to see Cedric, being half carried by Viktor make their way up to the pedastal where they were standing.

Cedric looked a bit better, he was standing on his own, now, but still quite weak.

"so, why has no one taken the cup yet?"

"because 'Arry says it is a portkey to an unknown place."

"no one told me it was a portkey, and I don't trust portkeys I didn't make myself."

"you can make portkeys yourself?"

"I made most of them for the spider hunt."

"is that legal?" this was from Cedric

"I am head of an Ancient and Noble House"

"ah, I see." "Well what shall we do, you two were here before us, and you refuse to touch it, therefore we cannot, in good conscience do so. I then assume that this ends the Tournament."

"I suppose we should call in and find out what's going on."

Harry pulled out his mirror and called in.

"Sirius, we're here at the end of the maze, and it's a portkey..I'm not touching the thing, I don't know where it goes."

Sirius was at the judges stand with Dumbledore, and the others.

Bagman was there, Percy was there in the stead of Crouch Sr. Madam Maxime was there, Kakaroff was present, but not paying attention.

Dumbledore spoke.

"Take the cup, My boy and win the Tournament."

"No, I don't think so, did you make it?"

"No, I did not, are you sure it's a portkey?"

"yes, very. I will not touch it, and the others are refusing also, since I got here first."

"I concur" Fleur spoke up, so she could be heard.

"I also. This is over" Viktor rumbled.

"I trust Harry, I'm done" Cedric.

With those words, the fire in the cup went out and the Tournament was over.

Dumbledore looked to the other judges and resigned, said "very well, return to the judging stand, we will award points on how well you performed."

Harry nodded and put away his mirror, and was about to return to base when he sensed motion.

Rushing out of the darkness of the maze, Barty Crouch Jr came up behind the quartet of champions, and tackled Harry, dragging him toward the cup. Harry, since he was hit from behind staggered forward and hit his head on the pedestal, and Crouch grabbed the cup with his arm around the fallen Champion. The three older contestants tried to separate the two, and lost their grip as Crouch whirled away with his unconscious captive.

This is the end of chapter 11

edit 2-16-10

edit 06-06-10


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Power (They Do Not Use)

_previously:_

_Rushing out of the darkness of the maze, Barty Crouch Jr came up behind the quartet of champions, and tackled Harry, dragging him toward the cup. Harry, since he was hit from behind staggered forward and hit his head on the pedestal, and Crouch grabbed the cup with his arm around the fallen Champion. The three older contestants tried to separate the two, and lost their grip as Crouch whirled away with his unconscious captive._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The scene in the tower was chaos. Luna had just arrived and Hermione was shocked at the situation. Mooney was poring over his maps trying to find Harry, wherever he was in England. If he was in England.

Moody watched this confusion for a moment, and then poked Hermione in the side.

"Missy, can you contact Jamie's boy?" he pointed to his ear. Realization crossed her face and she was spurred into action. She spoke quickly into her end of the comm device, a mirror based mic of sorts. The receiving end was stuck deep in Harry's ear, and he had a throat mic, so he could subvocalise if he needed to.

"Harry, can you hear me? Harry answer me if you can. Harry can you hear me?" She sounded on the edge of desperate.

A grunt and a mumbled Hr'mine came across the link.

"Harry listen to me, you have been captured by Barty Jr, we can't find you yet, are you hurt?"

there was a moment of silence when the grunt returned.

"h'd hurts. T'd up"

"did you say you were tied up?"

'y'p"

"look at your mirror, Missy"

Moody pointed out the obvious.

They looked at the 'broadcast mirror' that Harry and the other Champions wore that showed where they were in the Task. The other three champions mirrors showed where they were, surrounded by students, teachers, officials. Harry's mirror showed a dark place, and what looked like a mausoleum and gravestones.

"Is that a cemetery, Harry?"

"y'p"

Harry was replying as quietly as he could, so as to not attract attention.

He felt around, mentally and magically, via his glasses. He could sense the presence of a powerful evil nearby.

He was stuck upright, against a stone, he assumed a gravestone of some type, with a statue. There were stone arms embracing him, keeping him from escaping, that and a sticking charm.

A figure was moving about just out of the periphery of vision on his right. He could see a large cauldron with a bluebell flame under it, simmering away. The cloaked figure next to it put out the flames and muttered some magic over it, using a wand. The figure then stepped back and assumed a waiting position.

Barty Crouch Jr was pacing back and forth, between the cauldron and Harry's position, trapped by the stone angel.

"I know you're awake boy, raise your head and face your death!"

Barty's words were clearly heard by the people in the tower.

Mooney did something with the mirrors and all four champion's mirrors switched to be the screen broadcasting Harry's situation. He also turned on the sound, so the spectators to the task and everyone tuned into this broadcast could hear it.

"...raise your head and face your death!" the words rang out across the stands and arena.

Gasps and screams were heard.

Amelia Bones stood with Kingsly Shacklebolt and Gawain Roberds watching..

That's Barty Crouch Jr, I thought he was dead.. how did he get away?"

"I do not know Madam Bones, but I will begin an investigation straight away." The tall Caribbean born Auror rumbled in his Jamaican accent.

Luna sat in the tower with Hermione holding her hand tightly.

Moody watched intently, recognizing his captor.

"Ok you got me, I'm awake, so what are you planning to do?"

Harry stood as tall as he could, within the stone arms of the angel.  
He had wandlessly finite the sticking charm and was gathering his magics to break free as soon as he could.

/Shala can you help me/

/I will be there as fast as I can, my pet/

/?pet?..later/

/yes my pet/

Shala launched off her precipice on her island and with a great flap of her wings accelerated to unheard of speeds.

At a Military command base alarms went off as an object appeared, heading on a course across mainland England. Tornado Fighters were scrambled to intercept, the Americans based at RAF Mildenhall launched an AWACS plane as well as a trio of A-10s as backup, a purely precautionary measure..At RAF Lakenheth the fighter squadron was on alert.

"Let the ritual begin."

The cloaked figure, in all black, with a blank white mask raised it's arms and began an incantation over the cauldron.

He threw in various bits of matter, and fumes and whatnot roiled on the surface.

Barty came to a position to the right of the cauldron and with a sharp knife, cut off a finger and let it fall into the cauldron. He acted as if he didn't feel a thing, his eyes wide and pupils dilated.

"Flesh of the Servant Freely given."

The tall master of the Cauldron did something and Crouch's hand stopped bleeding.

The next thing into the cauldron was a vial, poured. It sizzled when it hit the surface.

"Venom of the serpent"

Barty came over to the still bound Harry and sliced his arm open with the knife. The blood poured out and was gathered into a vial, and taken over to the tall figure.

"blood of the enemy, forcibly taken"

this was poured into the cauldron. It hissed and bounced like water in a hot greased frying pan.

The dark figure overseeing the brew did some subtle adjustments and then Barty came, Carrying an object on a pillow.

Harry's scar burned in pain, blood and ichor seeped out.

He grunted in pain and the magic in him thrust out and broke the arms off the embracing angel. He fell to his knees and panted in pain for a moment. The dark figure lowered the homunculus body into the Cauldron.

While Crouch was concentrating on this, Harry got his bearings and scrambled around the back side of the mausoleum and slumped down for a moment, figuring out what he had to work with.

His Mirror was gone, so he couldn't call in, he had lost his bag with his spare portkeys and tools, his wand was absent from it's sheath up his left arm. He looked around the corner of the stone edifice and saw the figure lowering the small body into the cauldron.

"Hermione, can you see this?"

"No we can't, Harry, your eye is pointed toward the ground."

"gimme a sec."

he pulled off the mirror-eye he had attached to his collar and held it up, and around the corner, so it could get a full view of the proceedings.

Harry crept up behind a low wall that was along the side of the mausoleum. He glanced back and saw the name on the facade.

"Riddle"

"What?..what riddle?"

"no, I am in the Riddle Family Cemetery.. Tom's muggle father..

if we knew where that was, that;s where I am."

Albus Dumbledore stood tall in the crowd of officials, watching the actions on the screen, People were asking "Who's Tom?. Riddle? That's not a magical family"

Dumbledore was grinning inside. His plans were coming to fruition.

Luna sat beside Hermione, holding the other girl's hand tightly.

Her internal eye was watching the nexus move through its possible paths.

The Cauldron overflowed with a mist and a tall, gaunt figure rose from it.

"Robe me."

The dark masked figure gestured with his wand and the gaunt figure of Voldemort was clothed in black silken robes.

"my wand"

the wand was handed to Voldemort by Crouch.

Voldemort waved it, just like a new wizard at Ollivander's for the first time.

"ahh, it's nice to have a body again."

"arm"

Barty stepped forward and bared his left arm, exposing the Dark Mark.

Voldemort touched his wand to the mark and called his faithful.

They began arriving and as they were, Voldemort turned to the masked figure and nodded.

"You may go"

the masked figure bowed and apparated away.

Crouch knelt at his masters feet

"who was that, Master"

"My most faithful, you should emulate him."

"yes Master"

Figures began appearing in a circle around Voldemort, apparating in ones and twos at a time, until no more appeared.

Each was robed in black, their masks firmly in place. As one they knelt before their master.

"Remove your masks"

they were all removed.

Voldemort strolled around the kneeling circle.

"My faithful..where have you been these past thirteen years, have you been living in the laps of luxury, enjoying the fruits of my labor?"

why have you not sought me out?, did you think I was defeated by a mere boy?"

Harry crouched behind the wall, watching the happenings.

He thought about bugging out, but his bugout portkey was gone, as was his wand and bag.

He whispered.

"Hermione, get Sirius over to your parent's house now, have him reset the target stone, Crouch has my portkey. Do it now!"

Hermione blanched at he idea of Voldemort having access to her parents. She got out her personal mirror and called Sirius, sending him on the mission., she then sent a message to her parents to tell them to get out of the house and far away until she contacted them.

Her mother told her where they would be.

"We will be at the Manchester, where the dance was last year?"

Hermione nodded. Yes Mother, I understand."

The Dentist's association dance was not at the Manchester the previous year, it had been at the Oxford University Hall, and they had stayed at a Holiday Inn across the way from the University.

Relieved that the situation was taken care of, she returned her attention to the screen.

As she was watching, her personal bugout portkey evaporated into nothingness, indicating that Sirius was successful in his task. And her heart was lighter.

Lord Voldemort continued to berate his inner circle

"and you, Lucius, when I was residing with my most faithful for these last three years, where were you?, playing politics with your boy Fudge?..do you still have to buy his favor, Lucius, you should COMMAND his obedience, not have to bribe him.."

and you, Pucey.. what have you been doing?"

The rants went on for a while. Harry considered bugging out physically. He saw his bag and with an effort, was able to wandlessly retrieve it from where it had been dumped.

He dug around inside and pulled out a box with a dragonfly in it. He tapped it with his finger, activating it much like he did with his runes. It grew to a foot long body and a two foot wingspan, and launched, flying up and away, circling the area, staying out of sight of the angry dark lord below.

Mooney caught the broadcast and located it on the big map of England.

"He's in Little Hangleton, the Riddle family had a manor there."

The dragonfly swept up and circled around marking the various points of interest on the newly created map of the area. This had been a tool Harry was going to use in the Task, but had not needed it, as he had bulled through everything without it.

Shala sped through the night and was amused when two RAF Tornados intercepted her speeding across the sky over Avebury. She smirked and slowed down a bit, circling the ancient stoneworks below and accelerated off in a different direction. The Tornado pilots spoke to each other as the creature went far out of sight, beyond the limits of their afterburners.

"Kings One did you see what I saw?"

"I don't know Kings Two, what did you see?"

"I saw a big dragon Kings One."

"So did I Kings Two"

did you happen to get any video of it?"

"I had it in my sights for two seconds, maybe the gun camera?"

I hope so, I don't want to report this to the Commander."

"Me either, Jerry, me either"

meanwhile back at the Cemetery:

"The boy lives, capture him alive" Voldemort pointed to where Harry was hiding.

At this point he thought he may just have screwed up, and should have left when he had a chance..he might have been over a mile away, running by now.

It was a rout, one fourth year student, no matter how good or well trained against thirty or more full wizards, death eaters who didn't much care for legal spell casting.

They did have to work for it, though,

He was dragged before Voldemort and thrown to the ground.

"Impressive, young Harry, quite impressive, one boy without a wand against my faithful.. I suppose some of them will learn from this exercise how dangerous a muggle can be."

Harry had inflicted several wounds upon the attackers, and at least one was still unconscious with a fractured skull.

"Hello Tom."

"I would appreciate that you not use that name, I have left it behind."

"If you say so, Tom. Do they know?"

"Some, but they know better than to anger me."

"so their loyalty is based on fear and pain, as the Old Man's is based on deception and lies"

"possibly, who has your loyalty?"

"No one you know"

"ahh, Miss Granger, your Mudblood...and the red headed clan..

"I know them..In fact I was their Professor for a while."

"probably the only honest thing you have ever done, Tom"

"Crucio!"

Voldemort held the curse on Harry for a few seconds.

He fell to his knees but did not cry out.

"quite the will of iron there, Young Harry."

he turned to Crouch. "Give him his wand, I will duel him."

"Master?"

"do it!"

Crouch jerked Harry to his feet and stuck the wand in his hand. Harry was still stunned somewhat from the Crucio, so he didn't fight back.

He shook himself off and straightened his cloak, made a point of cleaning his glasses and putting them back on. He adjusted his cloak pin, which was the 'eye' that broadcast the images to the waiting world. Back at the arena, the watching crowd was awestruck as they saw Harry straighten himself to duel Voldemort. One screen was broadcasting from the dragonfly hovering overhead, so the overall scenario could be seen.

Back at the tower, Mooney was frantically assigning names to dots on his map, and keeping an eye on the vid feed while trying not to panic that his brother's son was about to go into battle with the most evil person in recent history..

He had sent a team of security personnel to Little Hangleton, but had them keeping their distance, with orders to capture and incarcerate any stragglers they could, but not get involved in the main event. As it was, they were kept a klick down the road, none closer than that distance.

The security forces were armed with bags filled with combination runic/potion-based stunners, pods which stunned and bound any target they hit, and were unaffected by an enervate. Their delivery method was legal, but unorthodox, a folding contraption of metal and surgical rubber, commonly known as a wrist rocket. These guys had experience with their weapons, they could take out a rabbit at twenty yards with them.

The three Champions were huddled together, watching their friend prepare to fight for his life, and were protected from the crowds by Madam Maxime. Viktor's headmaster, Kakaroff was unconscious because he had refused to go when his master called him. Cedric's headmaster was more interested in his own games, and ignored everything around him. Maxime was the only one who apparently cared about the students and their safety.

Genn was with the Champions, and they were discussing what they could and would do.

"this whole tournament 'as been a farce, 'arry should 'ave never been put in this position..'e is my friend, but 'e should not 'ave been 'ere."

Fleur was adamant about her statement. She was still hoarse from the affect of the devils snare.

"Da, I agree, I vill support my friend 'Arry in whatever his plans"

"I t'inkk ve should keep silent until ve talk wit "Arry."

Cedric nodded . "Viktor is right, once Harry escapes this trap, we will support him one hundred percent..this whole tournament has been some kind of trap and game to get to him."

the champions nodded and they made their plans.

/hairy one, I am nearby/

/thank you Shala/

/shall I burn your enemies/

/if you think that's best/

/don't get hurt yourself/

/I need my friends/

/ as you say, Hairy one./

"The niceties must be followed.. first we bow and then we duel"

Harry bowed ever so slightly and then dodged as fast as he could, because a stream of spells was coming his way.

He cast several bludgeoning spells, a few diffindos and the like, those fell on shields or were batted away effortlessly.

Twenty miles away, a trio of A-10 warthogs were flying over the nap of the earth, just barely above the treetops.

Shala swooped in and flames swept across the cemetery, , scattering the gathered Death Eaters. Some were on fire, some were knocked out. Most were fleeing this way and that.

The lycan personnel crept up closer to the action, and were fanned out around the perimeter of the Cemetery, a hundred yards out. Weapons at the ready.

Harry cast an expellarimus as Voldemort cast a crucio. Their spells met and there was an arc of magic in the air. The contact point of the spells was a writhing mass of magic, two brother wands fighting each other.

This all showed quite nicely on the multiple screens of the judging platform. The spectators were all in awe of the young man fighting against the ancient evil

Dumbledore was practically dancing in his shorts, as his scheme was coming to a head.

The trio of A-10s came over the horizon line and the glare from the flames of the dragons and the brightness of the magical discharge blinded the pilots looking through their HUD. The two outer pulled up and off to their own sides and the center aircraft went up and over to swing around on the far side. This was something like the training in dealing with nuclear explosions they had all gone through.

Luna speaks

_"This is the nexus point. This is the point at which the future comes or the future dies." "Send forth our love for Harry, give him strength, help him survive.."_

Hermione began speaking into her mic, her words were in Harry's ear.

"Harry, I love you, Harry you can do it, I know you can, Harry don't leave me, I need you. I love you, I want you to be mine forever, I want to be yours Harry. Don't leave me. I love you, we love you."

she clasped Luna's hand as she spoke.

Harry's spell rammed forward, pushing aside Voldemort's spell. The closer to the evil wizards wand the spell came, the more fell out. The shade of the caretaker came out..He looked at Harry as he pushed. The shade nodded and went on. Then a woman came out.. it was the missing Bertha Jorkins. She had been killed by Voldemort while in Albania.

The spells came perilously close to Voldemort's wand. A lithe shade came out..Lily Potter, followed closely by James Potter.

"You can do it, Son, We love you. Don't give up now, you've almost won."

Shala swept in from the west after having driven the still standing Death Eaters into the waiting arms of the Lycans.

/Get ready my pet/

/we will talk about this/

/I am ready/

Voldemort was pushing hard to survive.

Harry gathered what magical reserves he had left and pulled his wand up while he dove aside. Voldemort's curse flew by Harry hitting a stone and exploding it. Before the evil one could cast another spell, Shala came in for a landing in flame and claws. Harry dodged behind the Mausoleum and waited for the flames to retreat. When he peeked out, Voldemort was gone,

/the evil one has fled/

/thank you Shala/

/you are welcome/

/would you like a ride home/

/since I do not have my broom, yes I would/

Shala leaned down and Harry climbed up on her back and found a spot that seemed appropriate.

/the metal ones approach/

/We better leave then/

Shala leaped into the air and did a point turn, and headed toward Scotland.

The A-10s had regrouped and were approaching at about three hundred knots from the east. In the distance they saw the flames and the ethereal cage of light, and when they were close enough, the gun cameras picked up an unusual sight.

When they returned to RAF Mildenhall and the video was reviewed, they would see a human figure climbing up onto the back of a

mythological beast, and that beast flying away.

Luna sighed and slumped in relief. Hermione did also and the girls clung to each other, tears streaming down their faces. Moody watched as they got themselves back together.

Mooney called his troops back to their barracks along with their prisoners. Of the thirty plus Death Eaters, they had 13 captive, one of which was Barty Crouch.

Before transport, Lupin had them dose the captives with Draught of the living Death.

They had learned a lesson from Crouch, and did not trust the Ministry for anything.

Luna went to a quiet corner of the room and worked on her meditation.

Her inner eye was watching the nexus pass into oblivion. There were others, in fact there were some big ones coming, but Harry had survived this one, and that was enough.

Hermione was in another quiet corner crying. The stress of the evening had been quite a bit too much for her.

She was talking to Harry as he flew across England.

Mooney could hear her end of the whispered conversation

"yes I know, yes..uh huh...no I won't..(sniff)

He smiled and thought of some conversations he had heard as a young man..

Shala reached Hogwarts in under an hour. In that time all manner of theory and supposition was discussed as to what it was that they had seen that night on the screens.

There were those who claimed that the Dark Lord had returned, there were those who said it was impossible, there were those who claimed it was all a hoax to bring into power the new Dark Lord.

Then there was discussion that the new Dark Lord was Harry, some said another, one even claimed it was Dumbledore.

Fudge, that is, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge was of the opinion that it was all a hoax, that He-who-must-not be-named could not possibly be back.. but then he was also of the opinion that Peter Pettigrew was innocent and Sirius Black was guilty. After all, it was Fudge himself who had snapped Black's wand those years ago.

Black however was standing right there, as live as could be, in spite of the Ministry's declarations.

A great shadow passed overhead and people were aware of something.

The shadow swooped down and landed in the center of the arena, the backwash knocking many over.

Screams and people running to get away were the order of the day. Harry stepped down from his perch on her back and gave her nose a hug, as that was the smallest part of the beast.

There were those who were stunned at the actions of the young champion.

There were those who were not in the least surprised.

/thank you my friend/

/you are welcome Hairy one/

Shala leapt into the air once more and left the sight of all present, and headed back to her rocky crag.

She was heading along, minding her own when she saw some familiar faces, so to speak. The two RAF Tornados were heading back to base and she eased up behind them. The aircraft were a mere 54 feet long with a 28 foot wingspan. Shala was over 100 feet fully stretched out, with an 80 foot wingspan. Shala could literally take the aircraft under each wing without any problems.

She moved up between the two aircraft and waited for them to notice her.

"er..Kings One, we have a visitor."

"I know..if I ignore it maybe it will go away"

"I don't think so, it just winked at me."

"Base we have an unidentified ...visitor here"

"Can you identify?"

"no "

"is it an unmarked aircraft?"

"it isn't an aircraft, its a dragon a hundred feet long."

"say again?"

"its a bloody dragon twice the size of our birds keeping up at Mach1, that's what"

A new voice came over the commlink

"Kings One Kings Two, you are authorized to scan with FLIR and video, Take no hostile action"

The RIO in Kings One took action and began the active scanning process

as the aircraft kept pace.

The RIO (back seat co-pilot weapons officer etc) went on the private internal channel.

"er Mike.. I know what that is.." the pilot made a gesture that indicated he wanted answers.

"my nephews are special.. they have skills that lets them go to a special school, and I have seen in their books..That's a Hungarian Horntail Dragon..a female if I guess right."

this had the pilots attention.

"and what else do you know that you haven't told us?"

"I am forbidden by oath not to volunteer information, but since it showed itself to us.."

"Oath to who?"

"to HRH the Queen"

"Oh."

"Leftenant Creevy,We will be having a private discussion when we get down..just we four."

"yessir I understand sir."

Shala was listening in on the conversations and decided to poke them.

All four officers in the aircraft heard this:

/catch me if you can/

/you might want to contact/

/my friend/

/Harry Potter/

Shala slowly accelerated away. The aircraft kept pace up until they reached their operational limit.. they were at 40,000 feet at Mach 2.3 and Shala just faded away, leaving the aircraft heading out to sea.

Info from : .org/wiki/Panavia_Tornado

Harry had stepped down from Shala's back and faced her, he bowed formally and she accepted it like the Queen she was. As she flew away, his friends, that is to say, the Champions encircled him.

Madam Maxime set in place a ward used to protect people from crowds, one that Harry would learn as soon as he could.

The small group ignored the surrounding people, and kept their focus inwards.

"we saw"

"what happened"

"are you hurt"

"was that really him?"

the questions tripped over one another, as his co-Champions sought to know what had happened to their friend after he was taken from their company.

Poppy Pomfrey trooped into the closed circle, followed by the healers for the other schools. Poppy scanned Cedric and Harry, giving both Cedric and Harry an anti-cruciatus potion, and healing the slash on Harry's arm. She consulted with the French Healer on the damage to Fleur's neck, and they decided that the potion the Sphinx had given Fleur while in the maze was just the thing, so they encouraged her to continue using it.

Genn had joined the group and was whispering in Fleur's ear about something. Sergey, Viktor's 'trainer' had joined also. Harry thought it interesting that Dumbledore just sat in his seat, attended by his ever-present potions master, who at this time now had a frown on his face.

Harry got the distinct impression that Snape was upset that he had lived through the encounter with Voldemort.

Harry was speaking with Hermione by way of his throat mic and subvocalising , and she could speak to him by way of the ear bud.

If anyone had been listening they would have heard some private talk, nothing unusual for young people their age.

Fudge, accompanied by Aurors and Percy Weasley.

Maxime allowed the intrusion at the nod from the Champions.

"Potter what's the meaning of that display of foolishness, what are you trying to do, incite panic?"

Harry looked at the fat politician. "You saw, what you saw was what happened, Voldemort is back"

"He cannot be back, he's dead, you killed him thirteen years ago. What we saw was some kind of trick, who knows what those moving pictures show, its some kind of trick.

Fudge pulled himself up to his full height and made an announcement.

"You-know-who is not back, the Ministry declares it and that means it must be so"

Fudge threw threw a bag containing a thousand Galleons at Harry's feet.

"however it happened, you took the cup, therefore you won the Tournament." with that, Fudge turned and marched away followed by his guard. Percy slipped up behind Harry and whispered in his ear. "contact me" and then followed the entourage with an appropriate sneer on his face.

The Champions stood there looking down at the bag at Harry's feet.

Harry looked at his friends. "I will not take this, not only was this entire tournament a farce, I cheated my way through it, just to survive. Here's what I am going to do."

On the platform the officials posted the points accrued by each Champion. Harry demanded that his points be stricken, because he had not entered of his own free will.

Viktor dismissed his own points and stood aside with Harry, Fleur and Cedric did also, leaving the officials of the Tournament with no idea as to what to do. Harry threw the bag that Fudge had given him on the floor in front of the officials.

"Fudge declared me the winner. I am donating the entire winnings to a charity we have agreed upon, and matching the thousand with another thousand from the Ancient and Noble House of Potter."

he threw another bag next to the first. Viktor stepped forward. "The Clan of Krum will also match this amount. He placed his own bag with the first two. Fleur brought a bag also. "Le House of Delacour will also join in this action." Cedric stepped up. "The House of Diggory agrees with the other Champions and will also join with gladness." Cedric's father Amos beamed at his son's dedication.

Harry stepped up again. "This is five thousand Galleons that will be given to Madam Duerr for the care of the children in her Home for Magical Orphans."

Everyone was aware of Madam Duerr's Home for Magical Orphans and sometimes threw her a bone, or a few coins, but for the most part the whole idea was ignored.

Harry had found out about the Home in his third year when he saw some ragged children in Hogsmeade, and followed them to a run-down home where it was quite poor, but there was love.

This had been a possibility for him to escape to, and he was going to support this cause to his last dying day.

In his third year he had given Madam Duerr 'call me Charlotte, dear' all his spending money and had kept up a steady stream of small gifts and things to the home. Hermione was the only other to know of this, he had not spoken of it to Sirius, Mooney or anyone else.

The Goblins, however knew, and Harry had them make a weekly sum available to the Home, along with a note that they will never want.

Harry and Hermione had both spent some weekends and evenings in the home, teaching the children basic magic and potions.

During the Tournament he had more time to get out of the castle and visit the home, and had spent time with the children there. He was sure if he had been placed with Madam Duerr, he would have been just fine.

Rita beamed. This was a story which would be printed worldwide. She did indeed remember who held information over her head, and was pleasantly surprised that she could still write a straightforward news story.

The story would be accompanied by pictures of the events of the tournament, the ritual that the dark lord had used to bring himself back, the aftermath. Harry landing on the back of a huge dragon, and the shocking outcome of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

She was quite excited about the prospect of a new life, actually being respected for her work, for she knew deep inside that people didn't respect her for her trash journalism, but they wanted to see the dirty laundry, and it didn't matter whose.

She made a note to go to Madam Duerr's Home the next day to see what changes would be wrought, and if there were any stories there to be had.

Suffice it to say, there would be an eye-opening on the morrow.

Late that night, in the tower, Harry was quietly speaking with Sirius and Mooney, and he had included Mad-eye Moody into his circle of trust.

Hermione had nodded off, a book in her lap, and Luna was close behind, her half open eye barely focused on the men sitting at the fire.

She knew that what Harry was saying would have a tremendous impact on not only the war, but the health, education and welfare of every magical person in the UK.

"ok, here's what we need. Those prisoners?, we need a way to keep them separate from their master, and pump them for any information we can get. We need them to be away from each other, from any contact of any sort, work on that idea." the three older men nodded, accepting the younger's orders.

Harry looked serious. "I need to know, this summer, can you take Snape?" they looked shocked. "I mean, kidnap him, and take him prisoner without damaging his mind, I don't particularly care about his body, I need his mind, and his memories.. and we will need some special way to extract information from that mind, since he's pretty powerful at the mind arts."

Mooney and Black looked to each other. Information passed between the brothers in arms.

"yes, yes we can.. it will take a bit of planning, but we can do it. We may need a bit of bait for the trap though."

The young man looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Will some thousand year old basilisk parts do?"

this got everyone's attention

"I'd think so..but you don't want him to think we're involved.. maybe if we can 'import' the parts from China or somewhere?"

"I can help you there." Moody inserted.

They all looked at the old man. "I ain't up to much until I recover, an' Poppy releases me.."

"yeah, about that"

"another time..I have some contacts in Knockturn who can be a go-between.."

"as do I" Mooney put forth.. as a werewolf he had to sometimes skirt the edges of propriety.

"good, we'll make plans for say, mid-July to capture him.. first we have to prepare his prison.."

"prison? Where?"

Harry pointed straight down

"There are only two people in the UK who can access the Chamber, myself and Tom.. and He cannot get into Hogwarts without some effort."

Sirius looked worried. "I should be remembering something here"

"I have the back entrance under the fidelius , Bill Weasley cast it for me."

Memory flowed across his Godfather's face.

"How will we get the prisoners in and out?, you can't portkey underground, or apparate, to get inside the chamber, it would be the same as trying to apparate into a mineshaft."

"leave it to me, please, remember, that our prisoners are not going to be conscious when we are transporting them..so their comfort is not important, or even desired."

Harry would say no more on the subject. He had spent several hours the week before learning a stone drilling charm, and modifying it. He remembered the situation back in his second year, and the sound of the great snake moving through the walls, and the pipes that allowed this to happen. He went to a quiet area where he had heard the sound and did some exploratory drilling, with the idea that there could be access from somewhere other than the second floor girl's bathroom.

He did find a passable tunnel, one in which he had to crouch a bit, but it went all the way down to the chamber in a fairly direct path.

Along the way, he found several doors leading into various places.

Three days before the third task he had a door which could be sealed with a parseltongue password "Tom is a wanker" he would be doing something similar in the forbidden forest, at a site obscured by rock and undergrowth.. He would need the assistance of Neville for part of the project, but the idea was solid.

Luna closed her eyes, and slept, satisfied that the next turning point had been successfully passed.

end Chapter 12

edit 2-16-10

edit 6-06-10


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The Power(they do not use)

Chapter 13.

Ted and Andromeda Tonks were finally rested after their near breakdown, trying to do everything at once.. Their client, Harry James Potter had commanded them to delegate as much of the task as possible to others, and they were to take only a supervisory position, to hire the best people for the job and let those people do their job.. The preference was for magical people to be employed in positions where there was magical business, such as the real estate owned in wizarding Britain and Europa. And then there were all the businesses that the Potter clans had invested in over the years, it was quite an extensive list.

They had found that they needed a full time economics person, a financial business manager, and were able to find someone they could trust. It turned out to be a cousin of Arthur Weasley's, a near squib of the Weasley line.

Nolan Weasley was near the end of his work career,

"I intend to retire from full time work in five years, so you better be finding a replacement for me now, capiche?" Nolan had worked for a few years in Sicily and had picked up some Italian idiom. He was a dapper man, wore white linen suits instead of robes, he could pass quite easily in either world, with his red hair, dark glasses and leather briefcase.

Ted Tonks looked at some papers from his employer, and his eyes lit up.

"Nolan, how would you like to take on a young woman as your apprentice, to train her up in the way things should be done, it would be a great opportunity."

"who is it, is she ugly or a troll?"

"I don't think that is possible, the young lady in question is the eldest daughter of Jean Delacour, the Minister of the Magical Department of Law in France.. his daughter, Fleur Delacour is top in her class and very interested in the economics ministry, and is seeking a position in that Ministry." Ted paused. "It seems our employer has asked if she wants to join our ranks and work her way up to your job."

Weasley frowned and thought deeply. "Jean Delacour, isn't he married to a Veela woman, or half Veela?" "are you sure our employer is not just confounded by the Veela allure?"

Ted laughed. "No, Nolan, I can't think of anyone less affected by her charms than our employer.. once you meet him, and his mate, you will see why."

"His mate? How old is the young man?"

"He will be fifteen this coming July, but he is far more mature than many twice his age."

"I want to meet him, and soon. There is much to discuss about his business interests."

"I will set up appointments."

"Thank you Theodore, and I would also like to speak with Miss Delacour as well."

"I have her CV here, with floo address, email and Tele number"

"a witch with an email?.. unusual"

"She has the ability to cross over between the worlds at will."

"we shall see."

The year end feast came and went, The students all picked up their goods and went home for the summer holidays. Harry took the train back to London and watched out the front of the train as well as the back, as he had noticed something odd.

"Neville, what do you know about this?"

Neville stood and leaned out the window and looked at what Harry was pointing at. They were on a curve and the could see the tracks being uncovered as the train advanced at a steady speed. They looked to the back of the train and saw the ground cover sliding back over the tracks and hiding them from sight.

"How good of cover is the ..whatever this is, and can you detect the tracks up close?"

Neville pulled his head back inside the coach and spoke.

"The species is a fast growing vine , a relative of the devils snare, but it is trained to remain in a specific place, there are magical controls on the front and back of the train which make it move whichever way it needs to, and once it covers the track, you cannot even find it, even close up."

"sounds perfect, where can I get some?"

"I don't know about the control runes , I can look them up, as I had a great granduncle who worked on the train line a couple hundred years ago, the vine? Just accio a clipping or two and plant it where you need it, since you will have to train it to obey your command runes anyway"

"Ok, cool" he leaned out the window and summoned a few sprigs of vine , actually about three meters worth and pulled them in the window.

He looked at the vine as it writhed and tried to get away. He reached into his ever growing bag of surprises and pulled out a container

He cut the vine into foot long pieces and laid them into the box and put the lid on tight with a 'burp' sealed it.

He was gathering up the remainder to dispose of it when the door of the compartment slammed open.

"Potter I'm going to thrash you!"

Draco Malfoy stomped into the compartment, and had his wand out, pointing it at Harry, who didn't even bother looking up.

Crabbe and Goyle followed heir leader and stood there, looking threatening. Malfoy stuck his wand in Harry's face. Harry snatched it out of his hand and threw it over his shoulder, and Cedric caught it, he was a seeker after all.

Harry's other hand shot out and grabbed Draco by the throat and squeezed, cutting off the air as well as the blood flow to the boy's brain.

Malfoy thrashed and tried to free himself, but Harry calmly kept his grip.

"Vincent, Greg, you might want to rethink your alliances, who you work for, and that kind of thing, Your esteemed leader, here is going to get you killed one of these days, and it won't be worth it, to save his sorry ass."

Malfoy had stopped his struggling and was turning red, and gray before Harry dropped him in a heap on the floor.

Every member of the group in the compartment had their wand out and pointed at the two minions.

"Draco here will spout off about when his father hears, the usual yadda yadda yadda, but nothing will happen, Lucky Lucius will attempt to bribe or coerce someone in the ministry to try and limit me, attack me or kill me, just you watch, and that attempt will fail. You know why?

The two Slytherin boys shook their heads no.

"I have beat his master four times now in face to face combat. I have destroyed a basilisk as big as this train car, I have a dragon as a friend.. do YOU think that his dark lord will stand up to that?"

Harry answered the question for them. "No, he won't. It will come down to a time when I am the one facing Voldemort, and I will kick his sorry ass for the last time, and anyone associated with him will go down with him."

"Now you two have been sorted into Slytherin, which is supposed to be the house of the cunning and the ambitious, now in four years I have not seen the least bit of cunning out of you two, just following along behind this git, and looking threatening, don't you have any ambition of your own?"

Greg Goyle was the first to speak.

"don't have a choice, we got to serve the ponce, he's got us in a lock"

he held up his arm and showed them a bracelet which was a tight fit, engraved with a series of runes all around it.

"What does this do, Vincent, do you have one too?" Crabbe held up his arm and nodded, but said nothing.

"family debt, me family owes Malfoy and they took this in payment, we have to stay with him." he looked at the unconscious Malfoy in disgust.

"If'n it weren't for him I would go into business as a farmer, I know a girl I like and I want to raise crops." Goyle shook his head. "As long as this git is alive, we have to hang around and 'support' him.. if it weren't for us, he would be near squib.."

shock ran through the group. "You mean those are magical power drains?" Hermione was the first to speak. Crabbe spoke for the first time.

"I ti'nk they called leeches."

"I have heard of these things from my Father, I believe they are restricted devices used to keep prisoners from doing magic." Cedric spoke.

Harry pulled his trunk out of his pocket and handed it to Hermione. Get my camera out will you sweet?" She nodded, resizing his trunk and digging around in it for the item.

"I am going to photograph the runes on these and then see if I can disable them , is that all right?"

The large boys nodded, not knowing what to expect next, no one had ever treated them nicely or asked their opinion, they had just been told what to do.

"What do your parents think of this?"

"My ma hates it, my Da, he just looks at me sad, I think he was in the same for Lord Malfoy I know he doesn't do much without the big ponce ok."

Crabbe nodded in agreement.

Luna pulled Crabbe down and made him sit on the bench next to her.

"you and Gregory are at a turning point in your lives. If you make the right decisions, you will have lives you would not have had."

Harry photographed the runes on the bracelets and then began to search Malfoy. First he stuck the blond ponce to the compartment door with a sticking charm , and did a magical scan using his glasses and then a revelio using his wand. It became apparent that the ring that Malfoy wore was the receiving end of the leeches. Harry photographed this as well, was not able to get it off , but was able to see the runes on the outside as well as the charms that hid them.

He did a shrinking charm on the boy's hand and the fingers shrunk to the point where the ring fell off. Harry looked inside the ring and found the control series and copied that down as well. He did something to them and both of the large boys sighed, as if being allowed to breathe.

"Gimmee your arm." Crabbe offered Harry his arm first. The bracelet was easy to remove now, and once that was done, Harry neutralized all the runes in the thing, making it inert. "Here put it on, and don't say anything, let them think that the ponce is to blame for messing with his ring"

Goyle held out his arm and his bracelet was neutered as well.

"Ok, you two go back and look like you are doing your job, backing up poncy boy here, and I will be in contact, ok?"

Greg, you want to be a farmer, how are you with Herbology?"

"I'm not as good as Longbottom , but I am right behind him, the only class I am passing, what with all my time" he gestured to the wall ornament.

"I may have a job for you.. by the way, is the girl interested?"

"she sure is, but we didn't know how to get out of this.. all we could hope for was that the idiot killed himself, as that's the only thing that would have freed us."

"Call her up and tell her the good news, but don't let it spread, ok?"

"Vince, what are your dream job?"

"Smith"

"Smith?"

"Vinnie doesn't talk much, he wants to be a magical blacksmith, and set up a shop and make magical iron goods"

"That's not an easy job, do you have someone you can train with?"

"Vinnie's uncle is a Maker, in fact he is one of the best makers there is.. His great great grandfather was the first of the Makers, Alvin Maker."

Crabbe looked shy and blushed. "You should be proud, Vin, it's good to have someone to respect in your family tree."

he nodded and mumbled 'thanks' to Harry and averted his eyes.

"Harry, Malfoy is waking up."

Harry dug in his still open trunk and found something. He closed the trunk and Hermione shrunk it again. "Malfoy, wake up, you fainted"

Harry spritzed some of the Sphinx' bruise balm on the boy's throat, removing the evidence of his choking.

"Uh? Wha?"

"you fainted Malfoy, are you eating right, I mean if your sugar gets too low, you can faint like that.. shall I call Madam Pomfrey?"

"uh..you! You choked me, I should"

"no I didn't, you came in here with your minions and you said something and fell over, right, Goyle?"

"that's right boss, you just fell over, had me and Vince right worried."

Harry stood Malfoy on his feet and brushed him off. Cedric politely handed him his wand and Harry asked. "do you read and speak French, Draco?"

Draco's old self came back, full force.

"Of course you cretin, I am a civilized person, not like some of you."

"Good" Harry interrupted the diatribe. He slapped a book into Malfoy's chest, and the ponce grabbed it. "You should read this, and memorize it, you will need it for your career advancement." Harry turned him and thrust him out the door, clutching the book. His 'minions' followed dutifully and the compartment door slammed and locked behind them.

Inside the compartment, the group was laughing their asses off at the look on Malfoy's face.

"He doesn't know what hit him, does he" Cedric asked

"I don't think so, it might be a while before he realized he doesn't have any extra magic on his own.. if we can help Vin and Greg disappear.."

Harry sat down next to Hermione. Neville was sitting with Ginny and Cedric was sitting with Susan Bones, who was somewhat astonished that the seeker had eyes for her.

"Sue, can you drop a hint to your auntie about the bracelets and ring?, I am quite sure they are considered dark artifacts."

"it shouldn't be too hard, I think." The Hufflepuff girl looked a bit sly.

"I'll just tell Auntie, that Malfoy came in our compartment and while he was insulting us, his ring glowed and he collapsed, and whatever it was affected his two thugs.."

They all nodded. "That sounds plausible, I think that's pretty good Sue, do that"

"so, who do you think the girl is?"

"Pansy?"

"nah, she would never dirty her hands on a farm"

"Daphne?"

"Greengrass?..I don't think she likes guys, she never seems to give them the time of day"

"Hey now, Daphne is one of us, remember, she's a member of the SGC."

Hermione reminded her companions.

Luna spoke quietly. "Greg is with Millicent. Her family raises livestock, hence the name Bulstrode.."

"Huh.. takes all kinds I guess."

"among her people she is considered quite beautiful.. a strong woman is a prize in some cultures."

"her people?

"Oh yes, she is part giant, her father is as big as Hagrid, he mother is almost as tall as Madam Maxime.."

realization crossed the faces of everyone in the group.

"I would guess that she is not well treated in Slytherin?" Harry questioned

"you would guess correctly." Luna confirmed.

"What was the book,Harry?" Ginny asked.

"La Cage Aux Folles, the script for the play, I stand behind my earlier statement, Malfoy has a future in gay theater, he will need to know that play."

there was much laughter.

Harry returned to 4 Privit Drive under the cover of his 'notice me not' shirt.

Vernon grumbled about things as he was driving back to Surrey, he couldn't remember why he went into London and Kings Cross, somewhere deep inside he was wondering if he was losing it. His father, after all had lost it when he was around fifty, and his Grandfather before him.

Harry watched his uncle with his magically enhanced glasses and saw that there was something on the man, a leech like something riding the man's neck.

Quietly Harry cast a finite at the magic, it didn't leave immediately, it wanted to stay, at least that's the impression he got.

He pulled out a blank piece of parchment and drew in the parameters for a simple medical chart, as Hermione had shown him the charms she had used on the Marauders map that night.

The parchment lit up with numbers and words, most of which he understood, but some he did not.

"Hmmm. I wonder.."

Harry pulled out his mirror. The thing had become a mainstay of all their communications, secure and flexible beyond anybody's dreams.

He activated the thing in text mode and began writing the equivalent of an email.

_To: Pomfrey_

_I am attaching a simple medical scan of my Uncle, Vernon Dursley, I suspect he has been dosed with some sort of potion, and wonder if you recognize it. I will be looking at my books to see if I can figure it out, but you are the first person I thought of when I saw this._

_Harry P._

Harry applied the parchment to the screen and the data was sent. He put the Mirror away and returned his thoughts and magic to watching Vernon.

The vehicle made its way through the streets of the housing estate and pulled into the drive in front of Number 4. Harry cast some minor magic and a silent, calm Vernon Dursley sat behind the wheel of the parked car.

"Vernon, we need to talk, you and I, We need to come to an amicable agreement, for both our sakes." Vernon's eyes moved toward the rearview mirror.

"You have been a victim in another's game, a mere pawn to be used and thrown away at will." A pause. "You have been used by a master manipulator, and he is your enemy, not me. I am just as much a victim in this game as you are, and I for one intend to get my revenge."

Green eyes met blue. "I am going to destroy the sonofabitch who did this to you and me, and I would like your help."

He released the magic which stilled the fat man.

"If you work with me you will be rewarded greatly, you go against me, I will destroy you, and your family."

Dursley started to open his mouth to speak.

"I own Grunnings and the parent corporation you work for, I own the mortgage on this house in full, and I know about the 2500 pounds a month you receive for being my 'guardian'..I am an emancipated minor now, I have all the rights of an adult, with the legal firm of Tonks and Graphide, and I CAN do things you cannot conceive of."

"Work with me, Vernon and we shall see our enemies crushed before us."

Harry got out of the back seat of the car and opened the driver's door, with the respect due an elder.

Vernon sat there in the drivers seat for a moment thinking. He got out and closed the car door.

"Let me think about this and we'll talk tomorrow."

Vernon was an astute businessman, after all, as a director of Grunnings he was responsible for making it a profitable company in a hard economy.

Harry watched the big man walk away.

"hmm. That went better than I thought."

Harry was sitting in his room working on a project when his mirror beeped quietly.

A message appeared on the screen, written in Madam Pomfrey's precise hand.

_To: Harry Potter_

_From: Pomfrey._

"_Mr Potter, what are you getting yourself into now, wrestling dragons, overthrowing governments, changing history.. really!_

"_I have analyzed your medical diagnostic, and if it were cast correctly, I have no doubt Miss Granger made sure you knew how to do it, If it were cast correctly, your Uncle is severely overweight, suffering from Coronary artery disease and at risk of a stroke at any minute. If you care anything about him, you should encourage him to see his own healer and follow that person's instructions to the letter._

_Your uncle is a seriously sick man, and it is not helping that he is being dosed with a disinhibitor potion, that is quite dangerous to do to a mundane, it can be used for a short time, but long term it is very dangerous._

_If you have any questions call me immediately, and I will see what we can do for him, as Magical treatments do not work very well on mundane people._

_P. Pomfrey_

She had added a list of potions that should help Vernon recover from his potions induced problems and dosages.

Harry set the mirror on blank parchment and set it to print mode, another of the brilliant collaborations between Mooney and Hermione.

Mooney had taken Harry aside one day and told him that working with Hermione was very much like working with Lily, except Hermione was even more brilliant than Lily had been.

This made a surge of pride rise up in Harry's chest, the words spoken over his best friend.

The next morning Harry was doing something and went through the house to the kitchen for a drink when Petunia stopped him.

"er..Harry?"

"yes Aunt Petunia?"

"What did you say to Vernon yesterday, he has been very quiet and thinking..it's not normal when you're here."

"I told him we are on the same side and I would like him to be an ally instead of an enemy."

"what do you mean?"

"he, and you are being used as tools, as pawns against me, and I asked him if he wants to help me in getting revenge."

"sit and explain this to me please"

this was the most polite she had been to Harry in several years.

"I will return in one minute, I need some things from upstairs."

He ran quickly up and got the messages from Pomfrey and the diagnostic and his bag. He grabbed his mirror and went back tot he table where Petunia was drinking tea.

He began to lay it out.

"I was placed here against my parents will." Mum knew that Vernon was uncomfortable with Magic and everything to do with me, it says specifically in their will, that I was not to be placed with you."

This statement shocked and perturbed Petunia, but somehow she understood.

"I was dumped on you by the old man on the night my parents were murdered, and you were coerced into keeping me, and your behavior was modified so that you and your husband and son would treat me like a slave, beat me down and generally make my life hell."

This was all said with a straight face.

Petunia closed her eyes in pain and embarrassment.

"You and your family were pawns in a manipulative old man's games, without any regard as to your needs or wants."

I am going to run a diagnostic piece of magic now, you won't feel a thing."

Petunia just closed her eyes as if she were going to cry, and just waved her hand in a general 'get on with it' kind of wave

He had arranged with Madam Pomfrey to make sure he knew the charm correctly, and he ran it the way she had taught him.

The parchment filled up with data, and he looked it over, his face paled.

Aunt, I need to call my Healer, Madam Pomfrey, she can help you, I think, I hope."

Harry called his Healer, and when she answered, he wrote a few short sentences, and forwarded the chart to her to look at.

He gave her a few moments to read the information, and wrote some more.

_Do you see what I see there?_

_yes, I do, your Aunt will be crushed, in fact I am sure she knows something is wrong._

_Can you do anything?_

_I will try. I will be there within the hour."_

_Thank you. I will inform my Aunt._

_HP_

Harry put the stylus down and turned to his Aunt.

"Madam Pomfrey will be here within the hour to give you a proper checkup, and will have a few potions that will flush out the old man's potions."

"what was I given, and when?"

"It appears to be a disinhibitor potion, which makes you susceptible to mental suggestion, It makes you open to manipulation."

"Who would do that, who would poison people with potions and mess with their minds?'

"Snape for one, he loves to screw with peoples minds."

"Snape, Severus Snape?"

"yes, do you know him?"

"yes, your mother and I grew up in Spinner's end and he lived there, he is the one who told Lily she was a witch." she looked sad. "I think he did something to me back then, because after she had gone to Hogwarts for a few years, all of a sudden I was horribly jealous of her, and I never understood it, I loved my sister."

"do you remember the circumstances?"

"I think so."

"Tell me"

Harry slipped into her mind using the gift Shala had bestowed on him, and as Petunia told the story of her life with her sister, and how they had met Snape and the events that happened over the years.

He watched as the sisters grew apart almost overnight, and the dark presence of Snape lurking nearby.

In those memories He saw Lily bring home James as her boyfriend and his friends Remus and Sirius.

"It was as if he wanted to take her away from everyone and keep her for himself, he always looked quite possessive."

Harry nodded, understanding of several facts and statements became clear.

Pomfrey arrived and Harry let her in. She opened up her old-fashioned doctor's satchel and pulled out a series of potions and healer's

paraphernalia.

She had Petunia hold a pair of copper handles that were similar to the ends of a jump-rope with electric blue threads that went into a platinum and gold box.

Pomfrey's medical dictation pad was scratching away and she finally sat down.

"Mrs Dursley, Petunia, I have been a healer for over sixty years and I have never seen a mundane such as yourself so abused by someone, and still be sane." "What you have been exposed to and been through is concern for the Aurors and those who did this should be arrested."

Pomfrey turned to Harry. "Can you get her husband here, she will need him, I think."

"One moment."

He mirror called Mooney. "I need you to go and collect Vernon Dursley from Grunnings, and treat him well, he has been abused by the old man, His wife will need him very badly in a few moments, I will call him on the telly to warn him you are coming.

"will do, pup."

Harry went to the phone and called Vernon's office and shortly he was transferred to the man himself.

"What is it, I said we would talk tonight." The man sounded irritated.

"Petunia needs you, and it's important, I am sending someone to pick you up right now, I know its a freakish way to travel, but Aunt Petunia is more important than that right now."

"what is it, is she all right, shall I call the E and A?"

"No. My Healer is here, and she will explain it all, just trust my friend Remus Lupin, he will get you here safely."

Vernon didn't sound so sure, but for the sake of his wife he agreed.

Harry made another call, this time to the office of Tonks and Graphide.

Ted Tonks took the call, and Harry explained the situation, and Ted told him to await his arrival in the hour.

"...so, Mr Dursley what we are offering you and your family is a way out and a chance to start over with a new life, a new name, everything, a job will be provided and you can raise your son as a proper boy and not what he has become, you and your wife can have a chance at more children if you want, in other words, a second chance to make up for what Dumbledore did to you."

Vernon looked quietly into himself and didn't like what he saw.. He saw a person he would have not liked to know when he was younger.. the person he was when he had met his wife was far different than the one he was now.. his son had turned into a criminal at best and had the potential to be even more out of control if given half a chance..

Ted sorted through the documents he had created for the Dursleys and then started going over the persona that they would create for the former Dursleys, when a knock came at the door.

Vernon had to get away from the table for a moment to think anyway got up and answered the door and was shocked to see two police officers there waiting.

"Mr Vernon Dursley?."

"Er, yes that's me, what can I do for you, officers?"

"Are you the father and guardian for Dudley Darren Dursley?"

"er yes, is he all right?" Vernon craned his neck to see what was going on, there were two police cars out front and a police van as well.

"will you come with us, sir, your son has been arrested for criminal damaging and assault, as well as attacking a member of the town council.."

The events of the day had already messed with Vernon's mind quite a bit and this was the last straw, the blood vessel in his brain popped and he had a massive stroke on the spot. He fell to the floor in a heap as he turned quite grey and his body refused to obey any of his commands.

Petunia screamed as the police called for a rescue squad to pick up the fallen man. Harry asked Madam Pomfrey quietly if there was anything she could do, but she was not able to help, as Vernon was a muggle through and through.. magical potions take magic to work, and if you have no magic in your system, well then..

Harry offered to help by supplying some magic, but by the time he thought of that, Vernon's nervous system had shut down and the man was dead.

Petunia collapsed and Harry had to hold her up.. he had Pomfrey cast a mild sleeping charm on her as he discussed the situation with Ted Tonks..

"Can you find out what Dudley has done and if you are able get him out of gaol?"

Ted said he would pursue it and gave Harry the papers they had been discussing before and asked him to keep it in mind.

Meanwhile Dudley was handcuffed and strapped into a seat in the back of the police van, his clothes spattered with paintball residue and spilled food and drink.

The Medical personnel came and looked Vernon over and declared him dead on the spot, but picked him up anyway to be taken to the town coroners office instead of the hospital.. it was a fairly slow day in Little Whinging, other than that fat boy coming through town shooting everyone with a paintball gun and breaking down doors and windows as if he was fighting in a video game..

It was dark, and Petunia woke up. Harry had a cup of tea for her before her eyes were completely open.

She looked around in a daze, wondering what happened, all she saw was her nephew Harry looking worried. The young man had set aside a mirror in a frame and a notebook.

"Petunia, look at me, let me see your eyes.."

She looked up into her sister's eyes.

"Lily, is that you?..what have I done?"

"It's me, Petunia, Harry..what do you remember?"

thoughts slipped across her face. Anger, worry, fear, disgust and defeat..

"Vernon's dead, isn't he."

her statement was flat.

"I'm sorry, yes, he is."

"Dudley's in Gaol?"

"My Solicitor is taking care of it, as well as the arrangements for Vernon."

she was quiet for a long time. Harry did not peer into her mind even though he could at will.

"Does the m.. to ..de-age us really work?"

"yes it does, and it is permanent, you will be de-aged to the desired target and then you start over again from there."

She raised her face from where she had it in her hands and looked to him.

"Can you still do it with Myself and my little boy?"

"I can, and you will never lack for anything, you will have a new persona, a new home a new life, and a steady income. You can teach Dudley how to be a proper boy from ten months on.. a new life."

"Dudley is really as bad as they say he is?"

"Sorry, but yes, he is a thug well on his way to a second rate life, and eventually a prison sentence."

Harry did not say it, but he had seen the police records concerning Dudley, and an idea of what would happen to him if he were ever arrested..such as today.

"please rescue my baby son and give me a new life, Harry"

Harry made a call and things were set in motion.

Dumbledore was out of the country for his post school year holiday and thus he didn't know that the tracking spells on 4 Privet Drive vanished without a trace and he had no more control over the Dursleys, for the Dursleys were no more.

The old man was sitting on a beach wearing a swimming outfit that hadn't been seen since the thirties, and he got odd looks from the passers-by as he peered back from behind his round dark glasses. He sipped a fruity drink congratulating himself on another year well done, Harry contained as he was supposed to be, the Ministry under his firm guidance and his other experiment, newly reborn, flexing his legs and seeing what he could do.

The experiment in question was Tom Marvolo Riddle and he was counting his followers, drawing what magic he could from them via the dark mark.. it wouldn't do to have any of his followers get any ideas of overthrowing him, and declaring themselves to be the next dark lord, now would it..

He was somewhat perturbed that his inner circle had been captured in the graveyard when that blasted dragon had tried to roast him.. Singed he was, blistered, and scarred even, but he had gotten out just in time.

He had called his most faithful who appeared in a dark hooded cloak and stood there silently awaiting orders.

"you did well on my resurrection ritual, I am grateful."

"I now need burn ointment and potions, for mine enemy has sent a dragon after me."

Voldemort's voice did not show any signs of stress or pain, and the dark cloaked figure bowed and spoke two words.

"Ten Minutes"

he turned and apparated away.

Once gone Voldemort let out the breath he had been holding in a scream of release.. holding in that scream was...strenuous. The elf that was serving him popped in with a drink, and placed it on the arm of his throne, and popped away. Tom didn't curse the elves any more, for he recognized their power and respected it.

Using his dark arts skills he could see the dark spells and cures that wrapped around the servant creatures and wondered what an army of elves would be like.. certainly not so much talking back and thinking as he got now, with these pureblood fools.

Ten Minutes on the dot, the dark figure appeared bearing a tray of various ointments and potions.

"bring them here."

the dark one did, and put the potions in the correct order to be taken, followed by the appropriate ointment.

Tom Riddle remembered the healer at Hogwarts from when he was there as a student. Arthur Egan. The old healer took an interest in mostly the younger wizards and attempted to take young Tom back into his office more than once..As far as Tom knew, he had never made it there, but he grinned inwardly as he remembered the time that the new Healer Madam Pomfrey was brought in.. a young woman of about twenty. The older boys were lining up to see her, and almost all regretted it..the woman took no prisoners. He found out later that Madam Pomfrey was married to a muggle special forces officer in the Royal Army, and even worse her father was Alastor Moody, the Ministry's top hit-wizard.

Needless to say, Tom Riddle avoided needing her services.

The dark Lord threw back the potions and made no comment, although he could feel the magical liquids permeating his system..He opened his robe and let it fall around his waist as the burned parts of his head, shoulders and back were exposed. The dark figure gently daubed the ointments on the blistered and cracked skin.

"You make these well, my servant, it as if you were practicing."

"I must make specialized potions for the boy, since he is the old man's favorite project. In every potion or ointment I have to make for him" the dark figure snarled the last word. "I must take into account basilisk venom and phoenix tears, it pushes the limits of an average potions master's skills, however am far above average."

Voldemort reset his robe over his shoulders.

"That you are, my servant, that you are."

"Thank you my Lord."

"You may go"

the dark figure turned and disappeared.

* * *

The young couple glided along silently in the breeze, not really flying anywhere, just being in the air and being together.

Hermione was still getting used to her new broom.

They were over Wiltshire, with themselves and their brooms charmed with both 'notice-me-not charms and disillusionment charms.

Since it was early summer, Hermione was wearing only jeans and a denim jacket, with her school bookbag slung over her shoulder, she was dressed as if she was taking a ride on the back of a motorcycle.

Harry was dressed in a similar manner, but he had on a dragonhide vest over his clothes as well. His bag contained all manner of things, as well as a picnic lunch.

They were sailing in a generally westward direction, over villages and motorways, secure in the knowledge that they couldn't be seen.

"where are we going, Harry?"

"I have something I want to show you, I think you will be interested."

"What, you have me stirred up, you, holding secrets from me.."

she acted mock angry, baring her teeth at him, and he laughed.

"Ok I will give you a hint..Do you think that magic pops up in families spontaneously or is there more likely an ancestor who was magical?"

She pondered for a moment.

"Well, the odds for there to be a magical ancestor is more likely than spontaneous change in the genetic makeup, I suppose the gift of magic is likely genetically traceable, that is once the entire genome project is deciphered.

Harry knew better than to ask questions when she was talking about things he had no idea of..it tended to drive the conversation off track.

"Look, here we are..do you see anything unusual?"

They hovered over a small village, looking directly west.

There was development alll around. The motorways, the A' roads, housing estates less than fifty years old, built after the war. A shopping parade at the intersection of two major motorways, complete with a Tesco and a petrol station.

"That area looks..different somehow."

she was pointing at an area that had a ring of old growth trees around it, with a rise in the middle, an open green area with a jumble of large rock sticking up in the middle. It was if an outcropping of rock had shoved itself up through the ground and foced everything back and away, a broken bone thrust out from the flesh of the Earth.

"If you were a muggle, you would not be able to see that at all, the forest would be quite forbidding and very few people if any at all would find their way in or out.. Put on your glasses."

Hermione's bag held quite a few items, she had a pair of non-perscription glasses with all the runes that Harry's had, the runes allowed her to see magical traces, and objects hidden, and ward lines.. She clicked through the various settings,finally settling on one which showed a variety of ward lines surrounding the area, which was close to a mile across.

"So, a warded pile of rocks, protected by some...quite dangerous wards, I see."

she was peering at the various threads that surrounded the area.

"Muggle repelling, confundus, something that looks as if it were blood related, I think, if what Mr Golinard taught us is correct."

"It is correct, Hermione, There are indeed blood wards here, no one who is not of Black blood can cross the wards without Black permission..if you were to be inside, you could get out, but not back inside."

"How do you know about this?"

Sirius and I visited here over Yule break, while you were in France."

"How did he find out about it?"

"He has taken up the Head of Black, and now has access to all the family records." He turned. "Lets take a lap around, look at the rocks and see if you can detect what is unusual here."

They circled around at about a thousand feet up, looking the rock formation over, both visually and with the magic sensing glasses.

"Ok, tell me."

"I'm hungry, lets have our picnic and I will explain it to you."

The couple glided to a hillock overlooking the village and the rock formation. Both of the teens could feel a general magical pressure from the direction of the rocky hill, but it wasn't too oppressive, so they ignored it and spread out their lunch on a blanket underneath a chestnut tree.

Harry pulled out a book and this got Hermione's interest.

"Sorry, you can't read it, but I can read it to you, Black blood only, sorry"

He pricked his thumb on the cover and it opened.

"How?, you aren't a Black, Harry"

He held up his hand and showed her a ring.

"Sirius made me his Heir and thus, a Black, unless he has a son, I will be the Heir of Black, if he does have a son someday, I will be his older brother and adviser., this way, it keeps Malfoy out of the list of potential heirs to the Black headship."

Her face showed understanding in this explanation.

He began to read.

_"The Black family had in times past been in the shipping business, of sorts. They ran a fleet of several privateers, smuggling ships, whatever paid the best. They had no care of whose side they were on, just as long as they took a profit from it...they were only muggles after all. The prize of the Black Empire was an island. This was no ordinary island, this was an island that was never found, an island that was permanently hidden in an obscuring wreath of fog and confundus charms.. this Island was also the inspiration for that literary island in the Jonathan Swift story of Laputa."_

The Island of the Black clan had been mobile, it floated above the ground and ocean at the various altitudes of ground level up to a few thousand feet.. The ground level part was useful in crushing political upheaval, rebellion, or business competitors.

The problem was this.. sometime in the early 1700's the island had disappeared, no one knew if it got lost, broke up over the sea, or what. Sirius had an idea, as he had read a book hidden in the recesses of the Black Library..

The Black Library had many dark tomes, many books on obscure magic, many rare and out of print books.. but it also had history.. the histories of the Great,Ancient and Noble House of Black.. and the houses that The Black had destroyed or swallowed up. It was a given that the Great,Ancient and Noble House of Black was ruthless in their pursuit of profit and any contract they wrote was in their favor.. in fact the Goblins had taken some lessons from The Black... Whenever a lesser House was swallowed up or joined to The Black, all magics, all lands , all secrets were taken as well.

The original idea for Black Island was from a lesser House, who was married into The Black. When the concept was formed, the Head of the Black Empire said to make it happen, and Black Island was built.. much of it with slave labor, and indentured servitude. The Black, at the time was under contract to The Ministry to serve as the Prison of choice for the wizarding world, before Azkaban. It took nearly ten years, and much money, to build the technology and create the magics that made the Island work.. it was a proof of concept. They took a section of a mountain range in a part of Africa, a small mountain, a quarter mile long ridge and had the dwarves excavate a flat seam, separating the top from the bottom. the flying mechanism was installed and the control runes put in place, and one day in July 1606, the top of that small mountain cracked off and hovered over the hills. For the next hundred years, the Island moved at will, capturing ships, crushing cities, whatever the most profit or power was to be had.

The controller of The Island called himself The Invincible, and in many ways he was.

It came to an end one wet, rainy October night in 1737, The ongoing maintenance had fallen by the wayside, the current leader of The Blacks was off taking his pleasures with some slave girls, much to their displeasure.. one of them had a hidden wand that he didn't know about, because he assumed his current crop of slaves were all muggles.

This Witch, had a sense of Justice and anger that forced her to risk her life to rescue her mundane friends, and when the opportunity arose, she took it.

In the History of The Black Island, which Sirius had read as a child, it said this:

_"The events of October 1737 were brought on because of the treasonous actions of one Jane Puckle, who in an effort to free the servants of Our Lord Black, used magic to cause him to change course overland, and once having done so, did cause damage to the fromt Gimbol, thus destroying the balance of the Island, causeing it to crash most horribly.._

_The Ship was destroyed and resides there still near Wiltshire."_

What the History did not say was this

Jane Puckle survived the crash, along with her friends and made her escape, and they went to the town of Oxford, in Oxfordshire, where she went on to be a Social activist and Teacher of the Common man, which in itself was a revolutionary act.

Her descendants would later include one Hermione Granger.

a Local historian, pondering some journals and papers from the Eighteenth Century came across this:

_"on this day seventeen years ago there was a great and terrible storm, with lightning all about, we feared for our lives. At about one in the morning, a screeching sound was heard that echoed across the valley, as if metal upon metal, and then a great wailing, which rose in intensity from a basso profundo , causing our teeth to hurt, and rising in pitch until it was a banshee shriek.. many of those that heard this evil sound are now partially deaf from the demonic sound._

_The sound went on and out of the range of our hearing, although the children heard it longer than the elders, and then a horrible crashing, as if the hammers of the Gods were smiting their anvils.. the earth shook, the hills rolld as waves on the sea.. Our manor was knocked asunder, all the goods inside scattered on the floors, the turrets knocked off and the walls were shaking as if kicked by giants. _

_After a time, the shaking stopped, and all became calm, the dogs hid under the beds, the horses kicked and whinged in their stalls.. but the sky was silent, and the wind had stopped. _

_The rain quit at dawn, and the sun rose above the horizon, peering through the misty morning light, and it appeared that the horizon had changed. Off to the east of our abode, was what appeared to be an outcropping of rock, some three hundred feet high, and two furlong. Where his rock ridge had come from was a mystery, because yesterday, that field was in pasture and barley. _

_We all came out and watched as the new ridge of rocky hills steamed and smoked, We saw movement. Out through the sheaves strode a woman, followed by a retinue of other women, some injured, one on a stretcher, This woman, said her name was Jane Puckle, and she had escaped from the clutches of an evil man, and advised us to not explore that new outcropping, as unGodly evil had dwellt there. I spoke with the local council of this and they all agreed that we should stay away from this place. That event took place as I said, seventeen years ago, and now as I lay dying, I decided that I should have this written down. _

_In those early years, some tried to enter the caverns of the new mountain, but somehow we are always forced back. I have a cousin who is sensitive to these things and tells me it is a form of witchery.._

_This remained for three years and since that day three years after the arrival of that mountain, it had disappeared and there now is an impassable forest around the old pasturing and barley field._

_No one goes into that forest now._

_I do wonder if that woman, Jane Puckle was a witch, for she seemed quite confident."_

If this were an airliner crash site, they would have found a few interesting things.

The Black Island had two supporting devices which we shall call Spindizzies, for that is what they looked like. The Spindizzies carried the weight of the structure which was the Island. They were connected to the control room and to each other by Runic engravings. The special thing about these runic engravings was this: they did not follow the Nordic futhark or any commonly known style. The special thing about these runes were that they were written in Parsel and as such could only be read by certain people, one of which was Harry.

Harry closed the book and handed Hermione a copy of the testimony of the dying man for her to peruse.

Her eyes skipped over the ancient writing, looking for additional clues.

"Harry do you think?"

"I asked your mother last month if she had any information on her ancestry, She says that there was an Alphonse Puckle in her forebears, and he was married to a woman named Jane Raven."

Jane Raven?, I have never seen those papers."

"She will show you when you get back to the house.. you do know that the family seat of the Puckles is Oxford, correct?"

"That's where my Daddy met my Mum.. they were there together in medical school."

Harry vanished the remains of their lunch and put the picnic basket away.

He got on his broom and had Hermione shrink her broom and get on the back of his.

"Shall we explore Laputa?"

And that is chapter 13.

edit 2-16-10

Edit 06-06-10


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Bill, Fleur?, are you there?"

The young couple were somewhat entangled at the moment, and had to disengage to answer the Mirror call.

"Bill picked up the mirror and made certain that the caller couldn't figure out where they were, that is to say a blank wall behind him.

"hello?, Oh Hello Harry, what's up?"

The dark haired wizard smirked at Bill, just a bit.

"I don't know, Bill, what IS up?"

The red haired man turned a bit pink.

"What I am calling about affects you as well as Fleur, as I assume your relationship is moving forward together"

Bill clenched his jaw trying not to make any faces or cry out.

"You might say that"

"I called Fleur on her mirror and got her sister Gabrielle and man that girl knows how to talk your ear off.."

Bill was turning even more red but saying nothing. In fact it looked as if he were attempting to meditate.

"get on with it please" he squeaked out.

"Well I wanted to call Fleur and offer her a position as apprentice to Nolan Weasley, who is our temporary Chief financial officer, but he has a plan to retire in five years so she needs to get up to speed before then...Oh, Hello Fleur, how are you?"

The mirror had gone wild and then the image was that of a blond veela vixen in the heat of passion. As far as Harry could see there was nothing under that sheet but Fleur.

Harry lifted both eyebrows at the vision on the screen.

"Ello Arree, is this true, you have Nolan Weasley?.. and you want ME to learn from 'im?.. Yes, I will of Course I will, thank you thank you thank you!"

"remember, I did offer you a job back during the Tournament."

"I did not know it would be this big a job, I thought you were, what you say, embellishing your holdings.."

"If anything, I was understating them, but lets figure this out together.."

"Oui, we will make it 'appen correctly."

Ok, that's great Fleur, come to Number 12 tomorrow at noon, bring Bill with you, and please, Fleur, don't kill him, I need my Warder and Curse breaker alive."

he grinned, but was just a bit stunned when he saw the sheet drop, just before the screen went blank.

Hermione could feel the effect on Harry via the sometime link they had .

Harry? What is it, are you ok?"

she came into the room where Harry was working on things.

He was sitting in his chair , mirror in hand looking somewhat stunned.

Hermione came close to him and when she was within arms length he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her tightly to himself. This of course ended up with his face directly between her breasts.

Hermione was a bit flustered at this point, because they had not quite advanced to that stage of their relationship.

Her hands fluttered around the back of his head as he burrowed in.

She finally gave in and sighed as her hands held his head, petting his hair.

He began to speak through the little dragon, and Hermione could hear the embarrassment in his mental voice.

"I called Bill, hoping to find Fleur, and I caught them... er..together..

"of course they're together Harry, they are dating."

"no, I mean together..together...in a bed."

Hermione could feel the heat of Harry's face.

"Oh. Well, people in love do that, you know.

"I saw Fleur's..breasts.."

"oh, really?, were they nice?"

Hermione had decided to go for it.

"I'm a guy, Hermione, of course they were."

Hermione's face turned a bit red at her next statement.

"How are mine, I mean, since you are down there.."

Harry tried to pull away and hide as he made an indefinable sound, but Hermione was surprisingly strong and held him in place.

He sighed and relaxed. "they are lovely, Hermione, I think of them often."

her heart beat somewhat faster with that statement.

Harry decided to suck it up, even though he kept his face buried.

"You know I am committed to you in every way, Hermione, you are to me, the most beautiful and intelligent and interesting person I have ever met, including assorted women of society or veela or whatever.."

Her eyes looked up at the ceiling while she spoke. "So which other girls breasts do you think about?, Susan?"

His voice was muffled . "No too big.. I like these."

Hermione pulled back and knelt so she could face him directly. She did not speak, but pulled him into a kiss, and then set back, and looked into his eyes.

"Thank you...now tell me what's really got you stirred up?"

"I saw Fleur naked.. I don't know if I could face her without thinking about that."

Hermione pulled out her wand and cast locking charms on the door and spoke.

"well, lets see about that."

"You see, Neville, I want to hide a portal, that's why I wanted the creeping vine from the train rails. "

"so how are you going to activate it?

"When I create the portkey transferring the prisoner, it has a recognition signal which opens the portal.. that way no one else can access the portal without the proper authorization."

"what's the portal go to, that you don't want anybody to access it?"

"I am creating a truly unbreakable prison for Voldemort and his Death Eaters..

"Really?, Where?"

Harry gave Neville a look.

"Where Dumbledore and Snape cannot reach."

.. the man scans and obliviates people constantly, and he still trusts Snape, who is another one I won't turn my back on, ever."

"How are you going to get through school this next year then?"

"Snape will be gone, and Dumbledore will be held at bay."

"That's a big proposition you're putting out there, Harry, are you sure you can do it?"

"I certainly hope so, Nev, but I do know this, I can't do it without the help of my friends..

"well, I want to help, however I can, so tell me, what do you need next?"

"Tell me about Greg Goyle and his herbology skills"

Mooney was pacing.

"So, tell me about the action"

he was speaking about the events of the night when Harry was captured.

The squad leader spoke, as it was his duty.

"We ported in about two km out, and got our bearings, I sent alpha team south and Beta team north, flanking them, you know."

Mooney nodded. They had discussed these tactics.

"We could smell the potions and the stench of that creature even from that distance. A short run and we had the teams in place"

Remus inwardly snorted. A short run indeed. These teams had covered

that kilometer in under forty seconds...three times faster than the human world record.

"We found cover using brush and disillusionment keys and waited for our targets." The disillusionment keys were a runic based tool that Harry and the Weasley twins had created.

"We saw the DE's appear and then the snake guy was yelling at them. We saw Harry slip away, and the DE's come after him. We used that opportunity to pick off some stragglers who were hiding in the bushes.."

"Them the snake guy and Harry dueled and the cage thing, and then the dragon, and people were running everywhere, We moved in as close as we could and picked off as many as we could.. the baddies were running scared, I am surprised more of them didn't splinch themselves.."

"All told we got thirteen prisoners, of that thirteen, five were pretty badly burned and torn up.. the rest just stunned."

"We re-stunned and bound them and administered the draught of the living death as instructed and they are now in the holding cells sleeping."

Remus sighed.

"This action was done by untrained people using relatively unfamiliar weapons and no real tactical training, and there were so many places where any one of you could have gotten killed, not because you were wrong, per se, but because you were ignorant of the proper way to do things." He paced back and forth a bit.

"I am in no way mad at any of you, you all performed exceedingly well for an untrained militia, but from this day on we are going to rectify that situation. Working for Lord Potter and Lord Black, you and I are going to go into some stressful situations and I for one want to see each and every one of you come home to your friends and families alive and well."

"To make sure this happens I called in a specialist, You all know Jake Granger, The man I am about to introduce to you is a former squad mate of his in the SAS, Jeremy Quinn. Warrant Officer 1st Class Quinn has been with Her Majesty's Royal armed forces for over thirty years and has been training recruits like yourselves for the last ten. When he is done with us, and I include myself, we will be competent in all forms of fighting, weapons tactics and skills as any lifer in the British Army, and between us we will figure out how to use the enhanced abilities of the Were."

"We will be a true Lycan force before this is all over with."

The men and women of the Were force were generally nodding in affirmation and eagerness.

Remus turned and invited Quinn to the front of the group.

"Warrant Officer Quinn, I am placing our training in your hands. You have been briefed on what facilities and equipment is available to you, and the possibilities that we might be called on to complete a mission at a moments notice."

"We await your command Mr Quinn."

The troop stood at what could be called attention, led by Mooney.

Quinn walked up and down looking at each of the people.

He began to speak, not loudly, but every single one of them could hear him perfectly.

"We will not be using the normal military training, considering the abilities of your people, we will take those gifts into consideration.

I am sorry, but we will be working every day from 0500 until 1800.

there will be physical work, there will be classes and book work. There will be safety training and medical training."

"In this troop, everyone fights and no one is left behind.

This was made very clear to me when I spoke with Mr Potter and Mr Black earlier."

"There is a lot to be learned in military operations and insurgent operations. I am going to make you a well rounded force, able to step into any situation and come out victorious."

"I see you are all dressed for action so lets start with an easy six mile run.

From here to the post and back, first lap an easy jog, stretch and warm up.. even if you are stronger and tougher than normal humans, it pays to take care of your body, lets go"

He led off at an easy jog, and everyone followed, and all reached the post in under seven minutes. At the mile post he stopped and spoke loudly. "Sprint back and up here again and then a walk. The troop turned around the post and started sprinting, reaching the other mile post in under two minutes down and two and a half back.

They all reached the far post and were walking around as he gave his next instruction.. "Good, now you are warmed up, lets see how high you can jump, and how far between steps, go!"

The troop looked quite silly making giant steps like kids in a game, and laughing while they did it.

Quinn jogged along watching, and was met by Lupin.

"Ok, do your wizard thing, I want a series of hurdles to jump over, each one a bit higher than the next, until no one can get over."

Mooney pulled out his wand and didn't stop jogging, but as he passed each point, a new hurdle was transfigured into place, two upright poles with a board across the top, until the last one was at least twenty feet off the ground.

* * *

The next days were alternating running and jumping and agility testing and stretching exercises and speed challenges.

The end of the days were a quick run through a hot shower, food and then time off. Most fell asleep very quickly, and some made themselves be responsible and read the next day's lessons.

A week later:

Jake Granger stood at the edge of the training fields with Quinn.

"So, what do you think of then Jeremy?"

Quinn looked off into the distance, watching his charges go through their paces.

"This group is going to be an unbeatable force, you know..

I have heard them talk, some have had horrible damage done to them and the werewolf thing heals them up like it was nothing."

Quinn turned to Jake.

"I want you to do the medical training for them, I know they might not need it for themselves too often, but they might need it to save a civilian."

Jake nodded. "I will do it, and get Miranda to help, she was a teaching assistant in med school, and gets along with people well."

they both looked out across the field.

"Think we can get Fielding to come and teach tactics"

"Last I heard he had retired and was teaching the police forces SWAT tactics, both UK and American style."

"I'll call him when I get home, who else?"

Call that Gunsmith cat, the American we met in Germany."

"you mean Eddie B?."

"yes, he will be able to teach them all about weapons and safety and methods.. "

Jake began writing notes on a mirror.

"What's that?"

"Oh, it's something My daughter's friends came up with.. it started out as a magical mobile phone and now it does email and a bunch of other things.. you can even watch the telly on that"

"does it get reception?, my mobile always punks out whenever I get in the field.

"I have never failed to connect with anyone I want to connect to."

"but will it connect to the real phone service, that's the trick."

Jake looked thoughtful.

"You may have something there.. let me see what I can do." He cleared his notes and called Hermione

"Yes, Daddy?, whats up?"

"Hiya Sweetie, I was talking to Jeremy and he suggested that our mirrors would be more useful if they could connect to the regular phone service, do you think that's possible?"

She looked pensive for a moment, thinking. "I don't know right now, I will put it on the list to think about..Oh, Hi Uncle Jeremy, are you having fun with the little wolfies?"

"yes, dearie, I am having a lot of fun wearing them out.."

Maybe one day Harry and I can come out and run with them?

"It would do you a world of good dearie"

"I know, I sit around too much while studying..but it's important"

"We all know how important your education is dearie, but you need to stay in shape, and if I understand your Mr Lupin, the better shape you are, the stronger your magic, correct?"

"You're right, Uncle Jeremy..We'll be there tomorrow at?"

"0500 hours dearie."

"you mean the crack of gawdawful don't you.."

"Still not a morning person I see."

the grizzled warrior cracked a smile at this one.

"You know better Uncle Jeremy"

"getting testy like your Mum?"

"we'll see tomorrow"

"tomorrow then Hermione dearie."

she rolled her eyes and the mirror went blank.

"your little girl is turning into a beautiful woman, like her Mum, Jake."

"that's right..she is. Scares me a bit Jeremy."

"What about the Potter boy?"

"He may be only fifteen, but he's more of a man than some people twice his age."

"at fifteen?"

"he's been in battle, he's shed blood." Jake had a long look in his eyes.

"so Lupin tells me."

"anything I don't know about?"

"a troll?"

"I heard something about that"

Did you know the Troll that boy killed was twelve foot tall and 400 kilo?"

"the description I got was not quite so specific.."

"Did you hear about the big snake?"

I heard that it petrified my daughter for almost a month"

"did you hear how big it was?"

"No, do I want to know?"

"probably not. 63 feet."

"long?"

"long."

"I think my daughter and I are going to have a long talk about her..adventures."

"You've been out of the loop since you left the Service Jake."

"what do you mean Jeremy?"

"this is official secrets territory, but that boy has to go up against the two dark lords ruling magical Britain."

"explain"

"Her Majesty's secret service has been watching Magical Britain for some years now, and want to help him, as it seems he is 'the one'

"the one?"

"yes, the Chosen One.. the only one who can beat those in power.

Apparently it has been foreseen in prophecy"

Quinn rolled his eyes at this statement.

Jake looked at his friend with a questioning eye.

"What?"

"Young Lord Potter is, by default, the only one who can end the threat of this dark lord terrorist Voldemort."

Jake looked shocked at the statement.

Quinn continued:

"Black told me, he and Potter went to their Ministry department of Secrets and viewed this thing, it says he is the one, that is if you interpret it that way, apparently the terrorist has , because he went against the boy and his parents back in '81."

Jake and Quinn watched the recruits jumping and running.

"so you are going to train his people in how to fight and survive."

"there are more than just one terrorist out there, and they are killing innocents"

"How many more?"

"Well, between what Black and Lupin tell me, and the intel from MI-5, We can estimate there are about 45 to 50 thousand magicals in the UK."

"That's including the ones like my Hermione?"

"Including every one who can do magic."

"How many are part of this terrorist organization?"

"that's the shocking thing about it, as far as anyone can tell there are less than 150 who are marked and in service to this wacko Voldemort."

"And how many are unmarked and still in service..?"

"Probably another 300, more or less.

"So you are saying that 450 people are holding 45 to 50 thousand people hostage.. that's one percent. It makes no sense to me."

"Apparently one of the characteristics of people with magic is they are sheep, tell them something , and they will believe it."

"so Harry could win this war with simple marketing and publicity."

"I don't see why not, it's just that the ones in power in their government are all corrupt and a tight-knit old boys club."

"so what's the answer to the problem?"

"From what I understand,every follower who is marked has to go through an initiation to become an official Death Eater."

"Death Eater, what kind of name is that?"

"well, translate 'Lord Voldemort' 'flight from Death'

"it sounds as if this guy is a psycho"

"Jake, he must be a complete sociopath, he murders at will, has no qualms about torturing his own people and is bent on the destruction of civilization, from all accounts."

Jake ran his hand across his eyes.

"I probably don't want to know, what is the initiation?"

"You don't,, trust me."

The two squadmates looked into the others eyes and psyche.

"You've heard of this Pettigrew fellow?"

"The one that betrayed Harry's family"

"Yes, that's the one. Well, he took two days to torture and finally kill a man our age, father of a lovely girl named Susan, Brother to the head of their Law enforcement division..He was also an agent for Scotland Yard, as a go-between solving the magical cases they came across."

A conversation between a father and daughter.

"Dad, I'm worried about you. I have seen you catch criminals almost effortlessly, gone through horrible trauma and never lose your cool..and somehow a second raters like Pettigrew and Crouch got the drop on you..

what happened?"

Alastor Moody looked at his daughter Poppy.

He had gotten somewhat better after his months long incarceration at the hands of Crouch Junior.

He was sitting at the table, his eye had been retrieved, but he was hesitant to use it, and he had fabricated a new leg for himself, now with more hiding spots built in.

"I don't know." he sighed. "All I remember is finding myself outside where the dustbins were jumping around, and I didn't have a wand, I saw a flash of red from a couple stunners and then the next thing I remember was Potter's girl waking me up.

Poppy smiled at the memory of Hermione's actions.

"Miss Granger will be a great healer if that is the field she goes into."

"you weren't much older than her when you went in for Healer training.. your mother and I were so proud of you.."

"That's where I met Jack. He was based in The Midlands, an RAF Air Base there, They were flying long range missions into Hamburg every day..It was on the way back from one of those missions I lost him."

Moody grunted. "Jack Pomfrey was a good man. He would have been a good husband for you."

"He was, Dad, He was."

Her hands fluttered around the old man. "don't get me distracted, how did Crouch get you."

"Like I said, I don't know. If I recall correctly, I was supposed to meet Albus earlier that day, but I don't remember meeting him, and I have holes in my memory, I don't know if it is from Crouch's doing, being dosed for 8 months, or what."

Poppy had a look on her face.

"What is it girl?"

Poppy smiled at her father. "I'm over seventy years old, Dad, and you still call me girl...Thanks"

The old man gruffly nodded.

"If I might make a suggestion, Mr Potter has picked up a skill that no one has seen before, it seems, He is some kind of telepath, and has gone into a few people's minds and repaired damage done by obliviation and compulsion charms.

"What, some kind of legilimens?"

"No, this is different, it is related somehow to that dragon of his, I have Mr Cromwell working with him, trying to sort it out, and Cromwell says he has never seen the likes, but between them, they are fine-tuning the gift so it is useful." she looked off to the side of the room. "He might be able to help Frank and Alice, They are going to try something next month, after they get Augusta's permission."

Moody looked up sharply at this statement.

Poppy faced him directly.

"Harry Potter is the most honest and decent young man I have ever met, well, since Jack, and I think you should let him help you."

"Who has he helped and how?"

"Miss Brown and Miss Patil, the Gryffindor Patil, and also Minerva."

He raised an eyebrow in question.

The girls were both hit with compulsion charms, and Miss Patil had been obliviated. Mr Potter was able to remove the charms and find the missing memory and partially restore it." "With Minerva, he found several compulsions, obliviations, and he repaired as much as possible. She says she did not feel him slip past her shields at all, and you know yourself how good she is at Occlumency."

"I would like to talk to her before I let Potter ramble around my mind."

"I will call her, Sooner is better than later, you know."

Moody looked dour. "Your mum used to say that."

"I know. I learned quite a bit from my mother, right up to the day she was taken from us."

Poppy made sure not to notice the tear in her father's eye.

* * *

"Now, Potter, I don't want you digging around where you don't belong, there are secrets in there no one should see."

"I will not attempt to see your secrets, Mr Moody, and if by chance I do see one, I will keep it to myself, you have my word and oath as Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter."

"Your father and grandfather would have said just that,

That'll be good enough for me, do your thing."

Harry focused his magic and looked at Moody. It had reached the point that he didn't have to look into a person's eyes anymore.

Instead, Harry watched the old man's aura.

He slipped into the mind of the paranoid auror. There was an enormous shield covering up what Harry perceived as the mind. There was shredder wire, minefields, marching troops, fearsome beasts, a plethora of defense and offense on a virtual level.

He slipped through the shield without effort and immediately saw damage, spell damage, from assorted crucio curses and dark magic.

He sent his servants forth to filter out the darkness that surrounded the old man's magic.

Harry, with the help of Mr Cromwell had designed servants to do some of the heavy lifting and clean up that would be necessary in a damaged mind.

He looked into the dark crevices and there he saw desiccated bits of...something. These were the way his mind perceived an obliviated memory, and so he found one he looked it over and found a place it would fit. He plugged it into the spot and smoothed out the connecting dendrites and watched as they healed over.

Looking about found several more and rearranged them into the puzzle pieces they were, put them back as well.

While this was going on he was speaking.

"I am placing the pieces where they look as if they belong."

as he put the desiccated pieces back into the spots they were ripped from, he could see them refill and swell up as the magic and liquid filled the cells.

While Moody was sitting there with Harry in his mind, Poppy was listening and taking notes on the process

The servants kept scrubbing away the dark magical debris that lurked in every corner, and soon things were moving along quite well.

He pulled out and sat back.

"I didn't see any of your memories at all, just a virtual representation of what the damage looked like."

Moody grunted. "I could feel it as you repaired damage there, and I now remember things I had forgotten, or obliviated by Dumbledore."

"So the Old Man has messed with your mind too?"

"It would seem so, Potter. You know I trained your father?"

"So I hear, if you have any memories of that you would share, I would appreciate it, I know next to nothing about my parents...speaking of training, can I ask you a favor?"

"Just about anything sonny, you just did me a huge favor just now."

"I have an ex-SAS officer that Hermione's dad knows training our lycan force, We apparently are joining them for what we can do starting tomorrow, I was wondering if you would help me with our training in Auror tactics and such."

"Awfully big bite there for a lad of only what, fourteen?"

"Almost fifteen and remember, I took on a 63 foot basilisk at twelve and Voldemort last month..admittedly I had the help of a dragon, but still"

Moody laughed at the statement.

"Of course I will help you, You and Black, and that girl of yours, she's a firecracker, that one."

In Mr Cromwell's office, some days before.

"I can't really explain how I do it, Mr Cromwell, ever since I have been in contact with Shala, my Dragon friend, I have been able to do this."

"It may be part of your heritage, that is to say, you can speak Dragon?"

"yes, at first, everyone thought I was a parseltongue, because of what happened when I was 15 months old."

It was unspoken, the tragic event where he was hit by some spell by Tom Riddle AKA "I Am Lord Voldemort"

"No one can be sure what actually happened that night, Mr Potter, it is all assumption and speculation, driven by a marketing of your supposed fame."

"Yes, I am having my solicitors look into that to see who created this whole 'Boy who Lived idiocy, so I can sue the shite out of them."

Mr Cromwell's usually stolid face cracked an almost imperceptible smile. "Good luck with that."

"So, Occlumency, and legilimancy, I have read the books you gave me, and it looks as if meditation and centering is the key, and then creating a virtual shield, and powering it with magic, and if my magic is more powerful than those who attack me, I win, right?"

Have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons?"

"No, but I take classes in dungeons and I have a dragon, does that count?"

This time it was a real smile.

"No, Mr Potter, I don't think so."

"Well, lets be about business. The first thing I want you to do is let me back up your memories and personality, that way if anything goes wrong or doesn't work, I can repair you. I don't have a lot of space left, so I just keep the most interesting and helpful people on hand, Your Miss Lovegood is an interesting person, and I have her and her mother here with me, until she comes of age, and I will pass her mother's image to her for safekeeping."

"You wouldn't have My parents there with you, would you?"

"sorry, no, both James and Lily Potter were quite adept at keeping their own counsel, My services are mainly to people with damaged minds or people with skills that need managed, as you know, Miss Lovegood has a gift, and her mother had a similar gift, a matter of degree, you see, I helped her manage it so she could have a normal life."

"So, Luna will be coming to you her whole life?"

"No, once she learns to control her gift, she will only need to see me once in a while, for a check up, so to speak"

"Not really my business, but Hermione and I care quite a bit for Luna, we want the best for her, you understand."

"She knows how you feel, Mr Potter."

" First I want you to enter my mind with me to see how your avatar will be stored, and then we will begin the process."

The pale man entered Harry's mind and was stunned to see great monolithic banks of file drawers. He moved closer and saw many of the drawers were empty, waiting for their contents. There were some that obviously had something there in them, with labels inscribed on brass plates with dates.

An ethereal Harry walked out of the darkness.

"for the moment, I file the memories by date, and then refile them where they need to be when I do my daily meditation. The original is there, and a copy is sent to where it fits best, in some cases, the same memory is in three or more places at once, thus I can do a self-repair if I get obliviated or something." "You do know that Dumbledore is almost as quick to obliviate someone as Lockhart was."

Cromwell grimaced.

"Lockhart, now there's a real pain, I have had to follow up after some of his escapades, let me tell you."

"I'll bet"

"Try to open a drawer, use whatever means you can."

Cromwell lightly brushed a finger over a drawer handle and jumped back shaking the sting out.

"The drawers are shielded with an electric shock and a few other things, depending on what you attempt, if you had tried magic, the spell would have been a 'bombarda' to the head."

avatar Harry pointed up

"Look there, mobile protection also."

Up and down all the aisles between the drawer stacks were bludgers, intelligent and actively seeking an intruder's head.

Cromwell also saw ….something peeking over the edge of the stacks, which rose up into the darkness almost beyond vision.

"Don't jump, but look behind you."

Out of the darkness, rappelling down a thin web, several acromantulas.

Far down an aisle, slithering through an intersection, a huge snake, patrolling.

"Active and passive defenses, quite good."

"Follow me, I have a problem that I am working on , but I need your professional advice."

Avatar Harry walked up an aisle and turned left and they went on past several blocks of drawers, and out into an open area.

"There, see it?"

He was pointing to a pustule of black ugly and just plain evil nastiness.

"That is a remnant of whatever Tom did that night in Godrics Hollow, We think it is a fractional piece of his soul, a horcrux."

Cromwell was shocked at confronting the horrific object there in front of his eyes. Looking closely, he could see that the thing was mostly contained, but strands of black reached out like devils snare, searching for something to strangle.

He saw movement. There on the surface of the thing were what looked like bugs, rushing back and forth, snipping and shredding any attempts to escape before the tendril grew or was able to strengthen.

"Through this I can see through Voldemort's eyes, I can see where he is and what he's doing. Sometimes I can hear his thinking, though mostly it's just his emotions.. Right now he is feeling aggravated, I think."

Avatar Harry turned to Cromwell. "I want it out, I want it exorcised, I want it destroyed."

"I have been peeking at Dumbledore whenever I get a chance, and I have found out his plan..He does not want me to train or learn any real magic, he wants me to walk into Voldemort's arms and let him kill me, hoping I will take him out at the same time.. He believes that bloody prophecy."

Cromwell's mind was spinning at all the revelations this day.

"I will think on these things, and we shall speak of them at our net meeting."

His eyes never left the black seething object.

Harry followed Cromwell into the man's mind. His virtual mind was laid out with many hallways lined with doors. Each door had a name and date on it.

As they walked by, Harry did not recognize any of the specific names, but did recognize some surnames. Bagshot, Diggory, Leffenwell.

They went up one hallway and after a walk, sopped in front of a door.

"This is the area where Mrs Lovegood resides, Remember, the 'people' here are much like one of the animated paintings, They have the memories up to the point of the last recording, and the personality, but there is no soul, no life essence, no magic.

"You can talk to any of them, and they can synthesize an answer, but rarely any creative or new thinking."

"I see. Do you have anything on how to put an essence into a painting and animate it?"

"Actually I do, not a book, but an artist, they do not write down their secrets, but must be passed from master to apprentice, one of my residents here is long dead, and has asked me to find a suitable apprentice for him to share his skills with.

"My roommate Dean is a pretty good artist, maybe he will qualify, I'll ask him if he wants to meet your artist."

"Very well. Shall we?"

Harry nodded.

"Hello, Mrs Lovegood"

"Hello, Mr Potter, Harry, Luna has spoken of you."

"I really like Luna, Hermione and I think the world of her, and not just she has a gift that is useful, but because she is our friend."

Harry and Selene Lovegood spoke for several minutes and made plans. Harry rose and thanked the woman for her hospitality and left, following Mr Cromwell.

They walked down a long hall lined with doors and came to one that did not have a nameplate.

"This is where we will store your backup memory, if you will step inside?"

He entered a featureless room. Even the walls and floor were hard to define. Harry and Cromwell looked about.

"Here, touch this orb"

Cromwell handed Harry a shiny orb, silvery and mildly warm.

"The process will take a few moments and I will return."

the man walked out the door, which shut, and vanished.

The orb began to pulse with light, not very bright or showy, just a variety of colors. It still felt warm. Threads began pouring out of his body, first a few, then by the dozens, than by the hundreds, then every pore of his body , and coalesced around the orb, first forming a glowing mass, then slowly forming the shape of a body, and then filling in the features until there standing before him was a perfect replica of himself,

Harry didn't really notice his doppelganger so much, because he was staring at the other form that was trying to hold itself together.. the threads of which were all coming from his scar.

The other figure never quite reached solidity, but was recognizable as the older Tom Riddle which had attacked his parents home in Godrics Hollow. The reason that the image of Tom could not hold himself solid was that there was so little of his essence there, just memories and personality, what little was left of the soul still resided in the scar on Harry's forehead.

Harry1 and Harry2 looked at each other and whipped out their wands and bound and petrified the wraith in place, then disillusioned the prisoner and placed him in a convenient closet which appeared.

The two Harrys watched as the Gryffindor common room slowly came into solidity around them.

"Words and thoughts passed between the two Harrys as they waited for Cromwell to come back.

The entry door, Portrait opened and Cromwell came in, looking about curiously.

"Very good, a sense of place where you feel comfortable, I assume this is Hogwarts?"

"Yes, the Gryffindor common room, for me, Home."

"Very nice, very nice. Have you communicated?" He indicated between the two Harrys.

"Yes, It seems simple enough."

"Good, Every time we do a session, we will back up your memory with a current version, until you are certain of your control of your mind, then we will compile all your avatars into one single avatar, much like Mrs Lovegood."

"Both Harrys nodded in agreement.

"Shall we go?"

Harry1 nodded and followed the man out the door and gone.

Harry2 opened the closet door and pulled out his prisoner, binding him in a hard chair and began the questioning

"Tell me everything you know about..."

Petunia and Dudley were no more. They had been de-aged and Dudley had most of his mind wiped of memory, thus giving him the opportunity to build a new personality.

The young single mother Zoe Harrison was set up in a nice flat in Kensington, an inheritance from a distant uncle, with an income. She had classes to go to several times a week, and had a nanny to watch over young Archie, her beloved son. They had a large orange cat who seemed quite intelligent watching over their flat, which took up three floors of an older building in an urban and artsy neighborhood.

Zoe Harrison was excited, she was getting the opportunity to go to the Royal Academy of the Arts to take some courses in various things,

A refresher course in figure drawing, classes in historical methods of painting and portraiture, as well as modern methodology. There were classes in business management for artists, agents and gallery owners, in working in the graphics arts fields and presentation.

In the months since she had arrived, between caring for her son, taking classes, and working furiously on a series of paintings, she had no thoughts of the loss of her 'beloved husband, Trevor', who was taken down by a rogue wildebeest in Central Africa. She had grown up there, and lived her whole life in various cities and countries before coming to London.

Deep down inside her was the remains of Petunia Dursley, and for the most part, Zoe ignored that fragment, knowing this was a happier life than the one she had. She was grateful for the message she had received from her Uncle's solicitor, Tonks and Graphide.

She had received a commission, a package of photographs from her Solicitors and looked them over. There was a biography of the woman the photos depicted. It did not seem at all unusual that the photos moved, this did not disturb her at all, for she had a distant cousin named Harry who was a wizard, and he had shown her that Magic was not dangerous and frightening if you had the right attitude. There was a letter from the woman's husband describing the woman and her personality, as well as some letters she had written over the years and a copy of her journal entries.

All this, Zoe spread out on the work table in her studio and she studied it for hours as her little Archie sat at her feet putting together silly block piles and laughing as they fell over.

The nanny was there playing with Archie and showing him blocks with letters and numbers and teaching Archie to talk and speak clearly.

When the boy was ready for school in a few years, he would know his letters and numbers in two languages.

Zoe picked up her pencils and began to sketch the first of a hundred drawings and studies of Selene Lovegood, nee Crittenden.

"Harry, I want to talk to you"

Harry's blood ran cold, His girlfriends father had him cornered and there was no way to get out of it, as the car was traveling at almost 100kph

"yes sir?"

"Now Harry, I told you to call me Jake, Miranda and I think of you as family, it seems pretty obvious that you and Hermione are a permanent thing, so, we won't be too hard on you."

Jake grinned as he drove down the motorway.

"We owe you so much, Harry, you and Sirius have done wonderful things for our family, and I'm not just talking about investing in our business, I'm talking about how you have given Hermione a new outlook on life, how you have shown us your and her world, and what it could be.."

"I have been talking to some of my business advisers, particularly the ones in marketing, I mean, you made it possible to spread **UKDental** clinics to every town and village across the whole UK, I don't have to do dental work any more if I don't want to, all I have to do is sit in my office and delegate to my managers, set policy and count my money.."

"In the last three months, everything we have earned we have put back into the expansion, and the projections are 4.2 million pounds profit by the end of next year."

Harry had calmed down, He was comfortable enough talking about business and inventions, he was still a bit edgy talking about his relationship with Hermione, at least with her parents.

"I put out some hypothetical ideas to the marketing people, without names, of course, They listened, since we are paying them to listen."

"I put out the story of a young man we shall call Jim, who is important, and needs the support of the people and the government, but there are those whose agendas are contrary to his."

"I asked, what can we do to raise the status and respect and support for Jim so that the Government has to follow the will of the people."

"They asked what media outlets that we had to work with."

"I told them, 2 newspapers, one daily which is the government mouthpiece, and one monthly that tells the truth, but sometimes has bizarre stories as well."

"They asked if there is any broadcast media, I told them there is radio, but it is stuck in the thirties and quite ineffective."

Harry nodded "So, what did they say that Jim should do?"

"nothing yet, but they did ask what kind of budget did they have to make the monthly a weekly and how much would it take to take over the radio"

Harry got a look on his face. "I wonder if Xeno would mind increasing his publication?"

He got out his ever-present Mirror and called Luna.

"Hello, Harry, you seem surprisingly Nargle free today"

"I don't think the nargles can keep up with me in Jake's automobile"

"Oh, I shall have to try that someday, what can I do for you Harry?"

"I need to speak with your father and soon, I want to know what it would take for him to increase his publication from once a month to once a week or even twice a week."

Luna looked off screen, and back to Harry.

"He asks what the cost will be, Harry?"

Harry recognized this Luna,, she was one of the new faces that Luna had created with Mr Cromwell, the business face.

"No cost, the only thing I need is that he tell the truth, I will not attempt to influence him editorially or in his news reporting, the truth is the truth, and that's all I require."

"Now, financially, I will invest in whatever you need to produce, and hire the staff you need to do the job, and we can come to an agreement on percentages of advertising income, or possibly a discount on our advertising fees, you know how many companies we are a part of."

Luna nodded, she took care of the books for The Quibbler, and she could tell to the penny how much Harry and his associates paid in advertising fees.

Harry came up with an inspiration.

"Luna, run this by your father, Two editions a week, one hard news and editorials, the second, a weekend edition, News, but also a supplement covering all the creatures and interesting things that the Quibbler has always carried, I will even fund a contest to find the Snorkacks"

Luna looked excited and he could see her talking to someone offscreen.

She returned to Harry.

"We will work up a list of what we will need, and you need to tell us what stories you want to place."

"We have a deal then?"

she nodded.

"We have a deal."

Jake shook his head in amazement.

"Setting up our business initially cost Miranda and I over a year's work and several thousands of pounds in fees and permits.

You set up a business in seconds, amazing, just incredible."

He lifted his mirror once more.

"Amorita Amelia Sketersen"

(see chapter 7)

The mirror cleared and there was the face of Rita Skeeter.

"Yes, Lord Potter?"

Hello Rita, I have an offer for you, or that is to say, I have an offer for the true writer and Journalist I know you can be, under whatever name.."

Rita knew that something was up, since Harry had used her true name to call her.

"Tell me more, Lord Potter"

she knew that calling him Lord Potter was her way of getting to him a bit. She was still shocked at how much he had found out about her, and had documented.

"I am investing in The Quibbler, and they are expanding two times a week, one issue hard news, the weekend issue more entertainment and arts and some of their features."

"I see, what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be a true journalist, and investigate and write the truth."

"The truth can be dangerous."

"all too true, but I want you to do it anyway."

"I have known Xeno for years, I hope he will listen to me."

"Your reputation precedes you?'

"you could say that"

"So don't go as Rita, go as your new persona, or shall we say, your original persona, Amorita Sketersen, Journalist from Norsland "

"that will work, I suppose."

"Talk to Luna, she can fill you in.

Rita sighed.

"Something wrong?"

"I just got a letter from my mother, My papa needs me, he is getting older."

"You need anything to get there?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Keep your mirror with you, if you have to escape, there is an emergency portkey written into it, the password is "beam me up Scotty" while you press the function button."

"Oh, really? Where will it take me?"

"To our medical facility, we have people on hand full time, but only use it in an emergency, please"

"Thank you for trusting me with this."

Rita was truly thankful, for an escape route.

"I will speak with Xeno after I go to visit my parents, Lord Harry"

" have a safe trip, I hope they are ok"

Rita appeared in the floo of the local pub The green flames flickered and shrank back to a normal fire. The inhabitants of the local pub/general store/town hall looked up to see who it was.

They spoke in old Norse for the most part,

"Is dat?" "yah it is I tink"

"Einar and Marie's dottor Amorita."

"back from tha Big city are ya girlie?"

Rita dusted off her language skills, she had not spoken her native language in years.

"er, Yes, I am, are they at home?"

"Einar come in from The Banks yesterday, he looks poorly"

"Tis a hard life on the sea, you know missy"

"I remember, I have not forgotten where I came from Ollie"

Rita smirked. Ollie had been a resident of the stool he was sitting on for the last 40 years, possibly more.

Rita gathered herself and walked out the door to the cold air.

The landscape had not changed in centuries.

The boats were pulled up on the shore, the fishing trawlers having their nets spread out on the docks repairing them.

The lane through the village was as always clean, with assorted fishnets strung up and tackle being repaired.

A trawler was up on land being repaired, welding and grinding being done on the hull. Rita strode past on the path toward her parents house.

The cottage was eternal, not a single thing had changed, Her bicycle was still laid up by the trellis where she had left it last. The potted plants were out in the sun. Their red flowers bright against the whitewashed walls.

She knocked and waited. The door opened and Marie Sketersen looked into her eyes.

"It's been a long time since you've been home Amorita."

"I know mum, I know."

Harry and Hermione were finished. They had just run several miles with the wolfies under the watchful eye of Warrant Officer Quinn.

Hermione's father, Jake was jogging alongside them as well, as he was now not working full time, he wanted to stay in shape.

"Not too easy if you haven't made it a habit of running."

Jake wiped his brow and Harry stood there, working the kinks out of their legs and bodies.

"Keep walking around, you two, if you lie down or sit, the cramps will come,trust me."

The couple walked along, stretching as they went.

"How many?"

"How many what?"

"Miles"

"six and a bit." Harry didn't look tired, and Hermione was amazed.

"How can you run six miles and not look tired?"

"I'm not, really, I can run all day if I have to. I do get hungry, though."

"It shows, In the last month, you have put on pounds and muscle"

Jake pointed this out to the couple.

"Mooney told me this in our third year, how to use your magic to build your endurance, and I have read some things that sound as if they would be similar.. you have seen me read Red Prophet?"

Hermione nodded.

"Red Prophet and the other stories with that are a fictionalized account of Vin Crabbe's great great uncle or something, there is a scene in there where the character of the story is led across the land by a native, who shows him how to run, drawing the magic out of himself and the land, running 3-400 miles a night." "I feel the magic, you both know that, I draw it to myself and it empowers me, and powers my muscles, you both should try it."

" Also you do this, it will build muscle and strength, maybe not as much as the lycans, but quite a bit."

Hermione stopped them walking and grabbed him by the face, making her look into his eyes.

"Show me"

Their eyes met and Hermione could feel the information flowing. She felt the feeling of building strength and muscles and endurance.

She also felt a great deal about how Harry felt about her.

She let go and blushed, but said nothing. Jake looked between the two with a question in his eyes.

"well, did it work?"

Hermione jumped up and began jogging in place, "I feel like running, lets do another six miles." she skipped around the two males in her life, and goosed Harry as she passed him.

"Hey now!"

He began to chase her and she sprinted away, followed closely by Harry who was not really trying, but keeping up nicely.

Jake just shook his head and walked back to the reviewing stand where Quinn was sitting, making notes.

"so, a breakthrough?"

"well it seems Hermione has had an epiphany of sorts."

"Potter has been holding back, you know, he's almost as fast as my wolves."

"Good, I think, he will need it."

"something troubling you Jake?"

"The usual, Jeremy, I worry about Hermione and Harry now. It's pretty obvious to anyone that they are together for life, I just want them to have a life, I want Harry to survive this war, and when they are old enough give Miranda and I some grandbabies."

Quinn nodded. "She's fifteen, almost sixteen, would be nice if they were out of school and of age."

"Hermione's a sensible girl, and Harry will respect her, I think."

they sat quietly for a while, watching the workouts that the recruits were doing. Lupin had risen to squad leader and was barking orders at the troops.

"Weapons drills?"

"We want them well rounded, able to do anything anywhere. Believe it or not, Saturday we have scheduled etiquette classes."

Jake grunted. "Hmmf."

"It was requested by Lord Black and Lord Potter, something about infiltrating a catered event, some kind of official party the Ministry puts on once a year."

"Ah, I see."

"What books do you have there?" Jake waved at a box of books

Quinn poked at the box of books he was making notes from.

"This is required reading for all recruits."

The Art of War, Sun Tzu

Starship Troopers, Heinlein

The SAS Survival Handbook, Wiseman, 1994

"Quite a few others also."

Jake flipped through the books appreciatively.

"Everything we had to read plus some, eh?"

"I have to create some concepts for these people, most of them come from the magical side, some are mundane, but, you understand, I think?"

Jake nodded. "I am using the marketing people I hired for our clinics to create a positive image for Harry in his world, Yesterday while riding in my car, he started another business, and helped an existing business, expand, just like that." he sighed. "I shouldn't be jealous, the price he paid for his wealth is just too high, and he invested in Miranda and I, Without his help we would still be two clinics in London, and that's it, now we have close to 200 clinics in the UK, and are becoming known as The UK's Dental clinic."

Quinn grinned. "Tough place to be, rich and well respected, healthy,

quit yer whinging" He slapped Jake on the shoulder in a manly way.

Jake staggered a bit and stepped out of range as he saw in the distance two figures running down the track.

"Here they come, I'll bet neither are breathing hard."

They ran up and slowed to a jog, running in place. Jake was right, neither was breathing hard. They looked to Quinn for orders.

He clicked a stopwatch.

"Pretty good you two, you cut your time by almost three minutes, now hit the showers and report to Jake, as he has an assignment for you."

the teens jogged away toward the barracks and Quinn got a grin on his face as he yelled "SEPERATE SHOWERS!"

You could see the blush on both of them from the distance.

Neville and Harry, working on the portal.

"Harry, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Nev, anything."

"Right after the Yule break, I saw you and your elf talking, he was doing something with all your clothes and stuff." (chapter 7)

"He was removing tracking charms that the Old Man put on my things.

You do know about the prophecy, don't you?"

Neville stopped what he was doing and stared at his friend.

"What prophecy?"

Harry finished planting the clippings around the portal.

"Dumbledore has known about this since before you or I were born and that is the reason both of us had our parents taken from us."

Neville's face went blank.

"Tell me everything."

"Sirius and I went into Gringotts to claim our head of house rings and whatnot, and I was informed that there was a prophecy that was about me and Voldemort."

He quoted the prophecy.

"It was given by Trelawney, one of the only true prophecies she has ever given, to Dumbledore."

"Now here's the part I am suspecting is fabricated."

"I was told that a Death Eater was listening at the door and heard the first part of the prophecy and took it to Voldemort. "

"What I am wondering is this. Was the Death eater listening at the door, or was he given the prophecy directly to take to Voldemort?"

he sighed.

"If I were paranoid, and I am, I suspect that the Death eater went on Dumbledore's command and told his other master exactly what the old man wanted him to hear."

"It could have been either you or I, Neville, that's why my parents were killed and yours as good as."

He looked into the distance, watching the centaurs tilling their land.

"That's why Snape is more a priority to me than Voldemort."

"Are you sure it was Snape?"

"He was there at the resurrection ritual. Never took off his mask, but he's the one who did the ritual.. Barty Crouch Jr was and is cannon fodder, expendable."

"I see. How is it he escaped Azkaban or the Kiss."

"Dumbledore's interference again, he vouched for Snape's rehabilitation."

"My Gran will be livid when she hears this."

"Have her talk to our people, We will be taking Snape down this summer, before the new term, that's what this is about."

Harry indicated the plantings around the portal ring, and how well they obscured that ring.

"What is it , exactly, if I may ask.?"

"Follow me, I will show you our new prison system."

They put away their tools and Harry took out a brass ring a hands width across.

"This is my personal portkey into the portal there, The portkeys dumping the prisoners will not be anywhere near as smooth as this."

He activated the portkey and both young men whirled for a partial second and they were inside the tunnel that had been the back access to the Chamber of Secrets.

"Look here, you see the spheres?"

Neville nodded as he looked over a rack of blue transparent spheres with a hexagonal pattern on them. The pattern was the exact same pattern as seen on the footballs used in every match and game between schoolboys the world over.

Harry picked one up.

"You noticed the twins did barely any pranks the second half of the school year?"

Neville nodded, since he was frequently the unwilling tester of said pranks.

"I have tried to divert their attention into creating this."

"You can't see them, but each intersection of these lines is marked with several runic spells, and the inside of these spheres is a sensory deprived environment.. that is, whoever is inside cannot see or hear of feel anything, they are suspended in the center of the sphere, and subject to our whims, they cannot do magic, escape, anything at all.

"What about their weapons or wands?"

"Watch.,"

he put the sphere back into the rack, which looked suspiciously like one he had seen in a bowling alley with Jake and Miranda.

He pulled out his mirror and called

"Mooney, we're ready, send the prisoners through, one at a time."

They stood back and watched as the portal opened and a body fell through, just as a sphere rolled up and enlarged up to a sphere two meters across.

The body fell right through the surface and came to a stop dead center, but the clothes and wand and everything, including hidden things like poison pill teeth and the like were shunted outside the sphere. Where they were levitated into a box with a label and name on it with date and time of arrival. The sphere then kicked forward and began to roll downhill, followed obediently by the boxed clothes and such.

"it came through, no problem,, keep them coming."

"ok, Harry, will do."

Mooney's voice could be heard.

"C'mon, lets go down."

Harry started down the ramp, which was fairly steady, but with occasional steps. A series of blue spheres with bodies rolled past them, followed by boxes.

They reached the bottom of the ramp and entered a great hall, in fact the same hall where Harry had confronted the shade of Tom Riddle and killed the basilisk.

"The ramp was the basilisk's way out to feed, opened only by a parseltongue command, but I hid the outer door, and put it under a fidelius charm, so Tom cannot find it."

Neville stood, taking it all in.

The last of the spheres rolled past them and into a tidy line, where they looked like so many marbles in a trough.

A few house elves, actually, no, not house elves, but elves that looked right, taller and strong and healthy, with hair on their heads.

Elves tended to the sphere encased prisoners.

A group of elves and goblins were working together stripping down the carcass of the basilisk, removing the hide, the fangs, the venom sacs, the remains of the eyes, the flesh and organs, each and every item going into it's own sealed container, each and every bit incredibly valuable in the right hands.

Harry had asked that the skull be preserved, he had an idea of using it for a trophy.

The Goblins had struck a deal that they would do the work of rendering the beast and take a portion, and a fee for doing so, Harry had agreed to it right off, since he had no way to do the task safely or quickly.

"my gods, Harry, that's big..did you get pictures before...?"

"Yes, I will show you later."

They strolled up to the line of newly arrived prisoners. The spheres were a translucent blue, and each prisoner was floating, unable to get a grasp on anything, since they had nothing but themselves to grab.

Some looked stunned, some looked angry and were yelling, some looked frightened and were screaming. Not a one could do anything, not magic, not fight,, not hit.. nothing except be in their own pitiful little world , that and piss themselves.

"we are hiring specialists in interrogation, people who can get the truth out of these ...people, information, names, everything. It all goes into a databank over there, and that information is shared among our allies and planners."

Neville indicated the boxes at the foot of each sphere.

"What about?"

"the wands will be tested for what spells have been used, identify the owners and anything else we can, log all the items, these people won't be needing them again."

"What if there is an innocent who was marked?"

"Can't happen, the initiation is freewill only and there is a cold blooded murder required to receive that mark." I intend to find out who killed who and when.. for instance, to receive his mark, Peter Pettigrew killed Edgar Bones, Susan's father, tortured him to death."

"What are you going to do with them when you are done with them?"

"destroy them and their name, confiscate their lands, monies, homes, everything, then execute them, there's not a one of them that is innocent once they have that mark."

"seems cold"

"I know, but what can we do, release them back on society?, they're sociopaths, killers, do you want to release Lestrange and Crouch back on society?"

"no, but the idea of killing someone.."

"Don't worry, we won't ask you to do it,

Harry and Neville walked along the short line of spheres reading the names of the prisoners.

Harry continued to speak.

"The twins outdid themselves, we can inject potions into the spheres and the prisoner is controlled that way, veritaserum, confundus, sleeping draught, healing potions, nutrition, whatever we need. They never need to leave their prison , ever."

"Can someone get them out if the hall here is captured?"

"Try it, pick one and hit it with your best shot."

Neville took out his father's wand and hit one with a diffindo, a bludgeoner , a reducto. Nothing affected it, the spells were reflected off the surface, in fact they had to dodge when the reducto reflected back toward them.

"How?, that would make a great dueling shield.

"Sorry, no, I asked if they could do that, and there was a reason why not, but I can't explain it right now, also this is need to know only."

"Sorry, I won't tell."

"I trust you Neville, with everything, by the way, is that your wand or your father's.?

Neville pulled out his wand. "It's my father's, it works ok.. but I think I could do better."

"We need to get you a new wand that chooses you, and keep this one as a backup.. everyone should have two or more wands, Moody had three that I know of."

"Lets go..By the way I have a passage into Hogwarts now, it's password protected, but we aren't going there now, Dumbledore might be in the castle."

They headed back up the ramp to where the portal was humming quietly.

"I'll open the portal and we can portkey out, you ready?"

Neville nodded, He had his Heir of a Noble House ring, and he lifted his hand to activate it.

"Before we go, when you capture the Lestrnages and Crouch, let me know, please"

"You have my word, brother."

they grasped hands and with a whirl of light, the two young men were gone.

_"The things you are building now will be tools that you use to end the war, you will find your heritage and make the engines of industry run once more."_

the blond girl smiled at her raven haired friend. "I'm sorry, I cannot be more specific yet, it's all I have for now."

A prophecy by Luna in Chapter 5

edit 2-20-10

Edit and Cleanup 06-06-10


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The Power(they do not use)

A moment in Time.

**Arthur**

Ottery St Catchpole, Devon

1603 Hours

"I wonder what Albus is up to now, it seems like he is trying to do something underhanded and I just can't quite get my focus on it.. "

Arthur pondered the hidden notebook he kept in his shed. He puttered around, doing things with his plugs collection, wondering if it would be worth getting the district power authority to run some electrical lines into his property, and discarded that idea as a bit selfish, since the children were growing and leaving and Molly wouldn't partake of the joys of The Telly and the electric can opener.

He flipped through the pages of the spiral bound notebook looking over the entries that were dated, going back several months.

"March 15. _Spoke with Shacklebolt about the security around Harrys' home on Privet Drive, Shack assured me that there was nothing to worry about, as Dumbledore had raised them himself. From what I have heard from Bill, there are no wards on Privit Drive, and Jack Golinard himself was there to inspect them, if anyone would know, it's Golinard._

March 21. _I asked Bill tonight what was going on with his job at Gringotts, he told me that he no longer worked for Gringotts, he had hired on with a private party, and was to be their head of warding and cursebreaking. Bill asked me to not tell Molly any of this, because he said his employer required something called a Non-Disclosure Agreement, or NDA, as well as an oath. He also said he had taken up with the French Champion, Fleur Delacou_er..apparently he has the ability to withstand Veela Allure.

April 2

_Harry is away from Hogwarts frequently, he and Sirius Black have been seen together in Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, coming out of Gringotts._

_I must say that Harry is looking so much better than he did last year, healthier than last year also. I saw them one day at the Ministry, in the elevator, apparently Harry had an appointment with the Department of Mysteries about something. I do know that later that day, I saw Black being confronted by Dumbledore, the old man looked furious at Black, Harry was standing aside with a look on his face, one I have never seen_ _before, a mask, a carefully placed mask. I have seen this same look on some very dangerous men, on both sides of the line._

Arthur sat the notebook aside and pondered his plugs. Fitting one into another, laying them out in order, and finally just sat on his stool, leaning on his bench with his head in his hands.

**Molly**

Ottery St Catchpoole, Devon

1603 hours

"everything will be right once you capture Harry , Ginny, just you wait and see, We'll make sure you get him in your grips."

Molly Weasley was mumbling in her kitchen, putting together dinner for her husband and two youngest. It didn't matter to Molly that she was talking to Ginny who wasn't even there, but out at the back of the property almost to the ward line talking with Neville via their mirrors.

Molly didn't even recognize that her daughter had moved on from her crush on the 'Boy Who Lived" and was now building a relationship with the Heir of Longbottom.. Once Molly got an idea in her head...

She looked out the back window and saw the silhouette of Arthur in his shed, sitting on a stool at the bench.

**Bill**

London

1603 hours

"I'll be with you in a minute, Fleur, I am gathering up the books I need to teach Harry's next warding lesson." Bill pulled out several books, and placing his copy of Golinard on top, he put it all into a bookbag along with a supply of wardstone and carving tools.

He closed his office/workroom and strode out of the building into Fleur's arms, kissing her and spinning around. "I'm the luckiest man in London today, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester and Newcastle as well."

"Oui, yes William, you are a lucky man, do not forget it."

she punctuated her statement with kisses.

Some teens nearby hooted and whistled, and one yelled "get a room"

Bill pulled back and looked Fleur in the eyes. "sounds like a good idea to me"

**Charlie**

Romania, outside Bucharest

2 hours to the east.

1803 hours

"I don't care what it takes, Weasley, Talk to your brothers, talk to your father, go and knock on Potter's door, but somehow, please, get him to come here and at least visit, then maybe we can get him to do some work for us.. you know as well as I how much help we need with our dragons, having one who can talk to them will be.. beyond description how much it could help us."

Charlie Weasley nodded. He understood the need for Potter's skill, but he also was aware of the current relationship between his youngest brother and Potter, and the fact that it was unlikely to improve.

Although he was a large, strong man, and that particular type is usually thought of as dumb, the male equivalent of a blond female, Charlie Weasley was not dumb. He had his Mastery in care and handling of Magical Creatures, he had basic veterinary training, and he spoke three languages.

"I'll see what I can do. Mr Jipa."

"Good, see that you do."

His supervisor turned and walked away

Charlie stood there looking over the nesting pens that had several of the smaller dragons huddling and nosing at their eggs,thinking about that stupid tournament the previous year and how dangerous it had been for the handlers to take the four dragons halfway across Europa.

He was somewhat disillusioned with the supposedly great Albus Dumbledore, who had made arrangements from the very beginning for four dragons, not three. Back in August when these things were being worked out he had asked Mr Jipa why they needed four nesting mother dragons for three competitors in the TRI wizard tournament. Jipa didn't have an answer,

"Well, maybe they just want a spare, just in case, who knows about those crazy englishers..they are paying for four, we will bring four."

Charlie just shook his head and went about his business, feeding dragons.

He was operating what was essentially a flying skiploader to deliver large quantities of meat to his charges, going back and forth from the livestock pens to the dragon pens. These dragons were hobbled, so they couldn't fly away, like the Horntail did.. As he went to each pen, he dosed the meat with whatever nutrients or medications each creature needed to thrive, sometimes he got some looks from his charges that he could swear was them saying rude things for what he did to their dinner.

The end of his shift came and he retired to his room, which he shared with a young medical student, Daniela, who was also the niece of the supervisor of the reserve. She had her books spread out on the table reading and taking notes when he entered.

"How was your day, luv?' he bent over her and kissed her neck.

She leaned back and stretched,making several joints pop and crack from the stiffness.

"Take me away from these books and reports for even a little while, please"

"Let me clean up first, I smell like dragon shit."

She crinkled her nose as he went into the bathroom, shedding clothes as he went.

"It is a sad state of affairs when you don't smell it anymore.. We need to get away from the reserve for some time off.. the last time we were away you went to Hogwarts for that Tournament."

He spoke over the sound of the hot water in the tub.

"That wasn't really getting away, that was work, and we got our butts ripped when the Horntail flew away."

Daniela sat on the sink top as Charlie scrubbed himself down.

"Didn't Potter make a donation to the reserve or something?"

The water shut off and the curtain was pushed back. She handed him a towel.

"That's the only good thing that came out of that Tournament, Potter donated enough to the reserve that we can feed all of our dragons for a year, it's a shame that we lost the Horntail, though, she was one of a kind." He dried off and hung the towel over the bar and went into their bedroom and got some clothes to wear, He was sitting on the edge of the bed, putting on his socks when she crawled across the mattress on her knees and put her arms around him.

"I have always wanted to ask you this.. why is it you always put your socks on first, before anything else?"

He lay back on the bed, and she slipped around and lay across his bare middle, facing him. "I don't know, it just feels right, I think maybe, a reaction to my little brothers and their pranks, I don't know, you're the one in medical school, doesn't one of your psychology classes cover this disturbing behavior?"

She leaned on her elbow, chin in hand, on his hard belly and reached behind her back. "Well, I think we need to study the evidence first."

**Percy**

Cardiff

1620 Hours

"I'm tired Penny, I'm sick of hanging around with these people who are supposed to be our government officials who are supposed to be protecting the magical people of our world. This week alone I have filled a notebook with evidence of crimes covered up, bribes taken, all manner of wrongdoing, and no one does anything about it, Either they are in Fudges pocket, meaning Malfoy and by extension the Death Eaters, or they are in Dumbledore's pocket, believing the nonsense that he puts out."

Penny caressed her fiancé's head and held him tightly to herself. "you are doing a good thing, Percy, you are making sure there is a safe future for our children and soon you will figure out who you can trust."

"I tried, when I was left representing the Ministry in that horrid Tournament, I tried to get Potter to contact me, but he has not done so yet, the things they are planning for Hogwarts next year are.. unbelievable.." he spoke the word 'they' as if it were filthy and disgusting.

Penelope pushed Percy over on the couch in their flat and sat straddling him.

"Maybe you should talk to Bill, he is quite levelheaded, I think, Bill or your father, either of them would listen to you."

**Fred **

(undisclosed location)

1608 Hours

Fred? Hows it going?"

George peered into the bell jar that Fred was working with.

"The sorting charms are working nicely.. the idea of lowering the boiling point with a vacuum was absolutely brilliant, That Hermione is really something else"

"Better watch it Fred, chatting up another guys girl could get you bopped."

"Au Contrere' mon frere, our Harrykins, employer, friend, teammate would not bop us, he would politely request we stop attempting to usurp his girlfriend, and then turn us into a mushy paste."

"too true brother dear, too true, so tell me what you are doing"

"Using Harry's sorting ring runes I drop the test ingredient into the ring, thus, and it is 'ported' into the receiving end, within the vacuum chamber, here" he indicated a coppery ring floating inside the bell jar, with a receiving vessel beneath it.

"The sorting ring does that and the refined materials end up heated to boiling point in the non-reactive vessel, below."

George watched as Fred put the finely ground potions ingredients into the upper ring and it appeared in a different form in the lower, and the dross filtered out to a secondary vessel.

"Hermione insisted I read these chemistry primers to understand safety procedures before I started this series of experiments, and I must say, It's a wonder we wizards have survived this long with the potentials for chemical and hazardous materials exposure, sure, wizards are tougher than muggles, but it could very well explain the rise of squibs in magical families."

"I see, so what are you making?"

"I am experimenting with refining potions ingredients to filter out the dross and keep the active portion of the items, I suspect we could seriously simplify potions and increase effects with materials with more purity."

"Sounds fascinating, think of the pranks and wheezes we can make.!"

George was shocked when Fred didn't agree with him.

"What's wrong o, brother of mine, are you losing sight of our goal and vision?"

"Have you ever wondered why Ronald acts the way he does?"

"you mean, moody and angry and irrational and selfish and jealous?"

"yes, all of those. You know, yourself that Bill is the smartest of us, Charlie in his own way, Percy is a bit of a prig, but he has brains and focus, we have our problems, and we compensate, we always have, but Ronald?"

George began to speak, but Fred continued on.

"Hermione was insistent that I read these books on safety and chemicals, she showed me what could happen to a child that has been exposed to the wrong kind of drugs or potions while in the mothers womb, a simple medication for nausea caused babies to be born without arms and legs, bloody hell, George, I saw pictures of a boy born with his knees in the wrong place because his mother drank some alcohol..

"The legend of the Mad Hatter has a basis in reality, George, The hatters back in the 18th century were exposed to Mercury among other things,

the dyers of cloth used to use arsenic in Green dyes, poison!

Minamata!" Fred cried out. "These people were eating fish they caught that had mercury in them, sickly distorted people.. We can't make wheezes that might put an end to the magical people of our world, it's a balancing act that we survive as it is, with dark lords all around, governments that are corrupt, George, we have to do something! Fred grabbed George by both arms.

George looked into the frantic gaze of his brother, trying to understand.

"Show me these books."

**George**

(Undisclosed Location)

1620 Hours

George Weasley sat with the books Fred had given him. Their working relationship had always been, Fred takes care of the potions side, George takes care of the transfiguration side, and between them, they could make just about anything work.

They had made some brilliant moves creating the prison balls, using a combination of all the crafts and resources available to them. The absolutely brilliant potions lab in the top of Gryffindor Tower, the runes magic that Harry was coming up with, the general brilliance of Hermione , and the support and confidence given them by their two mentors Padfoot and Mooney.

George scanned the books, getting a feel for what Fred was talking about, and thought back to all the people he knew and had met in his life, wondering about certain behaviors and hidden illnesses and deficiencies that various people were hiding. He pondered the report from Harry about the two hulks that were bound to Malfoy, and how they were providing the ferret's magical power at their own expense.

These revelations had became part of the sphere project

**Ron**

The Burrow Quidditch Pitch

1600 hrs.

Ron flew back and forth between the rings, imagining himself the keeper for his favorite team, the Chudley Cannons. His broom was reasonably quick, and his imagination made sure he was stopping every single quaffle from going through the hoops, with absolutely miraculous saves.

He did his self invented exercises, to increase speed and agility, weaving around the three goal posts, until he was dizzy, he pulled up and hovered above the pitch, looking out over the countryside. Off to the right, The Burrow, just beyond the orchard where they grew much of their fruit.

To the left, that is East, pasture and a wheat field, and beyond that rolling meadows surrounding Stoatshead hill.

He peered into the sunny day and could see his sister, Ginny sitting on top of the hill, under a tree talking to someone with her mirror..

He wanted a mirror, but no one seemed to know where they came from, or how they were made. You had to know someone to get one, and make an oath not to tell.

This triggered a response in Ron.

_Harry would know, him and the know-it-all, they get to know everybody and I am left out, I was his friend first, he should be here with me, playing quidditch, She should be doing my summer homework._

_Haw dare they ignore me like this!_

_I bet he uses all that money and gets himself another broom, since he's handing out brooms to the know-it-all.._

**Genn Dubois**

9 hours west, San Francisco, USA.

0700 hours

"Come in, have a seat Miss Dubois"

"Thank You Master Shepherd." The young French woman sat before the desk of Runes Master Charles Shepherd.

The man looked over a folder of work, and nodded appreciatively.

"Jack Golinard told me of the assignment he gave you, This is quite well done, Miss Dubois, between you and your collaborator, you created an easy to erect , low energy ward, using what is basically a children's toy, well done." He laid the folder back on the desk. "I knew you were a good candidate for the apprenticeship position, even before this, and you were well recommended by Mr Potter and Mr Black, I wonder how you know those gentlemen?"

"I was part of the group from my School, Beauxbatons to the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and by chance I was hit by a stray spell cast by an inbred fool, and as an apology for his countrymen's behavior, Monsieur Potter, offered me patronage with the stipulation, once I earn my Mastery, that he has first refusal for my employment."

Genn bowed her head with a smile.

"Beside finding myself blessed with a powerful and wealthy patron, I also made a good friend with both Harry and his mate, Hermione."

Shepherd smiled at this answer.

"It is good that you made friends with Mister Potter and his mate, I have met them once, last month, did you know he offered me a job also?.. I may just take him up on it..now then, I have accepted your application to be an apprentice, let me show you the first task I have for you to solve..."

Later that day Genn would write a long letter to his British friends, thanking them for the opportunity they had made for her, and telling some of what she had learned that day.

**Hermione**

Paris France

1710 Hours

"Mum, I need to talk to you, please..just you and me?" Hermione whispered to Miranda Granger.

Miranda turned and called her husband.

"Jake, on your way to the bakery, pick up some of that lovely cheese we had the last time we were here, please, and some wine as well."

Jake sighed and walked out of the flat they were borrowing for the week of holiday, understanding that his wife and daughter didn't want him to hear whatever woman stuff they were going to talk about.

He held up his mobile so Miranda could see it, as he went. She subtly nodded and continued listening to Hermione.

"Mum, I'm fifteen, going to be sixteen next month, and I , well.. umm.

Miranda smiled and patiently waited for the girl to say it.

Finally she just blurted it out.

"I believe I love Harry, and I want to do things with him, and I want him to do things with me, and I don't know how to stop myself from doing what I want to do, and I know he wants to too.."

Miranda smiled at her daughter's outburst.

"I'm glad you are thinking rather than going ahead with instinct, Hermione, the average teenager would probably be snogging and more without too much thought, hormones, you know"

Hermione grimaced and wrung her hands, trying not to look her mother in the face.

"you are a big girl, love, the thing you need to do is think ahead to any situation and plan on your actions, we all know how you like to plan things out.." Hermione bent at the waist, and her face was in her knees, her ears red and hot.

Miranda rose from her seat and sat next to the girl on the edge of the bed, and put her arm around her, and caressed her face in her other hand.

"It's ok, sweetie, it's part of growing up, part of being a teenager, part of being a young woman.. every boy has urges as well, and can sometimes be a bit more blatant about it, but women have those same urges."

She made Hermione sit up and face her, her hands on the girl's cheeks.

"It's the decisions we make that define who we are, love."

"I have a feeling that you truly love Harry, and want him to be happy, am I correct?"

Hermione did not speak, but nodded, holding back tears.

"Do you believe that Harry loves you in the same way?"

Again, she nodded.

"Then, if he does love you, he will respect whatever limits you set, he will wait as long as you need to be comfortable."

"How?"

"is he not a mature young man, or is he a typical male horndog sniffing after any girl in heat?"

"Harry is the most mature and respectful person I have ever met, adult or not"

"So, let me give you some advice, here.. you are almost to the age of consent in the UK, once you are sixteen, there is nothing I can do or say that will stop you from doing whatever you want with whoever you want.. that said, there are some doors that , once you have gone through, you cannot return."

Hermione nodded, sniffing. She took a tissue from the box offered her by her mother.

"But, I want to make him happy."

"And he probably wants you to be happy also, does that mean giving him your virginity at a young age?"

"erm.. no, I suppose not, and he is perhaps a bit naive in some respects."

"does he have anyone who can explain things to him, I know he lost his parents, is there some body, Mooney, or Sirius?"

"I explain most things to him mum, but this one I cannot, it would be too embarrassing."

"To him, or to you?"

"Both, I think."

"Do you want me to tell you what I think you should do?"

"Yes, please."

Hermione sat there, her hands clasped and half clenched between her knees.

"All right. Here's what I would do in your situation.. you do recall that your father and I were in the same secondary school together, and then in Uni, and then we were in the Service.?"

"Yes" she nodded, glad her mind was off her own predicament.

"When I was in school, I had much the same thoughts as yourself, and my mother had me set limits, as to what I would allow, I wish I could whip up a chart here like you do with your wand.. it would be easier."

Hermione took this as an opportunity to show off some of her skills and took her father's newspaper and transfigured it into a presentation whiteboard with the picture of a female form, much like an anatomy drawing, wearing what looked like a leotard.

Miranda stood next to the board and took up the marker and began pointing out various parts of the body, and highlighting them.

"for the moment set the limits of what he can touch from here, to here, outside the clothes only, and when you reach the point where you are comfortable with that, allow him to get inside your clothes , but not beyond this point.. wait until you are at least sixteen before you go beyond this point.. "

**Jake Granger**

Paris

1750 Hours

Jake wandered down the street in urban Paris, stopping at the bakery and the cheese seller and the wine shop, picking up his purchases, he had not gotten an all-clear call from his wife yet, so he sat at a cafe, and had a glass of red wine, as he watched the people walk and ride by.

His mobile buzzed and he answered.

""Hello, Jake, I have the reports you needed."

"very good, Basil, tell me."

"We have permits for seven locations in Suffolk, Six in Essex, three in Warwickshire two in Shropshire, four in Leicestershire and one in Cambridgeshire"

"Pending we have to hear from Yorkshire, Manchester, Lancashire, Derbyshire Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire Hertfordshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire"

So that's seventeen new clinics and twelve counties yet to hear from, very good, Basil, very good." He took a sip of wine. "When you get the permits for the other counties, let me know, so how is construction going?"

"Quite well, actually, those goblin construction crews you hired are phenomenally quick, but we do have to take into consideration the local trades unions, so that tends to slow things down a bit."

"Well, keep it as legal as you can get away with, I don't want to cause any bad feelings in the localities." "How are the buyouts going?"

"We have tendered offers to every practicing professional over a certain age for their clients lists, and most are glad to get the offer, several offered to sell their entire practice at the drop of a hat."

"We'll see, depending on who , what and where, and the medical schools?"

"I have personally spoken to the Deans and recruitment officers at three different schools, Cambridge, Oxford and Queens College, and made offers for every student over a 90 percent average to intern with us, and when they graduate, to a position, that is, if they fit our requirements."

"Well done, Basil, well done. I will speak with you tomorrow."

"Very well, Jake, I must go now, I have a call from the Trades Unions representative waiting."

"Good luck with that."

"Ta"

Jake laid the mobile on the cafe' table and waited for his wife's call.

**Ginny**

Devon, near Ottery St Catchpole

1800 Hours

Ginny Weasley sat on the top of Stoatshead Hill thinking about that night, with Neville, and the things he had done for her. She had hung the dress in a place of honor in her room, although her mother had a tendency to put it away, out of sight. Her time with Neville was some of the best times of her life, she thought back to when she was crushing on Harry, and internally snorted.. as if Harry would have any interest in her, it was quite obvious that Harry was only interested in Hermione.

"I should warn Harry and Hermione about what Mum was saying earlier.. they won't like it..I don't want to lose my friends."

Ginny took her mirror and made a call.

Hermione picked up her mirror and answered it, once she saw who it was.

"Yes, Ginny, is everything all right?"

"No, Hermione it isn't.. It's my Mum.. she thinks that I should be with Harry and you with Ron, she isn't listening to us when I tell her I want to be with Neville, Ron just goes along with whatever Mum says, because Dumbledore suggested it.. I don't think he is thinking for himself much.. and what I heard him mumbling about you.. I know he's your friend, but be careful with Ron this year, and don't drink or eat anything he gives you."

"I know that already, Gin, he tried to dose Harry and I already, we had to stun him and interrogate him, we obliviated the episode so he won't remember it."

"Oh my , really?,When? I didn't know he had gone that far.. did my Mum have anything to do with it?"

"Yes, she sent him the potions, which were provided by someone, probably Dumbledore, made by Snape."

"How?, why?"

"did you ever notice that Harry has his own bed in the infirmary?."

"Yes, but I thought that it was because Harry gets hurt so much."

"No, it's because he has a very peculiar need for potions, with the basilisk venom and phoenix tears in his system.. almost every potion he takes has to be specially made, and do you know who makes them?"

Ginny was shocked.

" Surely not Snape."

"Snape hates Harry, and would rather poison him that help him!

"That is a correct assumption, but Sirius made arrangements with Pomfrey that every potion that Harry takes has to be made by a potion master who he specified, I won't even say the country the person is in, so no one finds out, I don't even know, so I can't be scanned of legilimised."

"Oh my.. you mean that cabinet next to Harry's bed?"

"Yes, it has a blood lock and a one way portal so it is filled by the unknown potions master."

"Amazing."

"Yes, life with Harry is frequently like that."

"to tell the truth, I'm glad I got over my crush on The Boy who Lived.. I don't think I could survive the drama."

"It does have it's moments."

"So where are you now, Hermione?"

"Paris, with my parents, we are using a flat owned by Sirius, loaned to us.. maybe when you are older, you and Neville can come here on your honeymoon"

"I have been kind of thinking about that.. Neville that is."

"I had a talk with my Mum just a bit ago.. Terribly embarrassing, but helpful." the girl blushed

Ginny caught the blush. "Do tell?"

"Umm, well, it was about how far to let Harry get, and when.."

"I want to hear, c'mon, I need to know this stuff too, girl"

**Arthur and Ginny**

Devon, The Burrow

1900 Hours.

"Dad, I need to talk to you"

"What is it cupcake?"

"lets take a walk, out by the pond."

Father and daughter walked, hand in hand, enjoying the summer evening.

"Dad, somethings going on.. I talked with Hermione earlier about something I heard Mum say and she told me that Ronald tried to dose her and Harry with potions."

Arthur stopped and faced his daughter, shocked. "What?, when, how, who?"

"well, don't say anything, I don't want them to get in trouble, but, they stunned and interrogated Ron, somehow, and obliviated him, he won't remember it, so don't try to ask him."

"Obliviated?, they are only fourth year students, how?"

"You know Hermione well enough by now, dad, if she does anything, she does it perfectly, even NEWT level spells.. Somehow Harry can scan your mind and see your thoughts, but it isn't what Snape does, it's somehow related to his dragon."

Arthur had heard about Harry and his pet Dragon, not wanting to believe it, but having seen it..

"Tell me what you can, please?"

""Ron was sent the potions by Mum, who we think got them from Dumbledore , made by Snape.. you know Snape hates Harry"

"Yes, I know, he makes it apparent at every meeting of the Order."

"Snape created the potion for Harry, he's the only one who could do that, he is working against my friends, and I am worried.. Mum thinks Harry should be with me, and Hermione with Ronald.. there are no people more different than Hermione and Ronald.. they would kill each other in short order, as it is, all they do is fight, Ron insults and criticizes Hermione all the time, and she somehow puts up with it, because Ron is Harry's friend."

"I like Harry, and yes, I did have a crush on him, but I am older now, and I know he loves Hermione, and she loves him.. they are a couple, and there is someone else I like, and I think I could love, eventually."

Arthur was somewhat shocked at this statement, his little girl?

"Can I ask who, pumpkin?"

"Don't get mad, daddy"

he nodded in agreement.

"Neville Longbottom."

"We went to the Yule ball, and he gave me the dress and everything, and he was sweet, and kind and a good dancer, I felt wanted and safe with him."

"I would like to meet him one day."

"Mum thinks he is not the one, maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but this is not for her to decide."

"You are sure about your mum and the potions?"

"Yes, Daddy, I talked to Hermione, she and Harry got the information from Ron."

"I see. You say your Mum is following Dumbledore's orders?"

"Not so much following orders, but she is being influenced by him."

"Well, it's time she remembered to whom we owe a life debt."

Ginny hugged her father. "Thank you daddy, you won't regret it."

He hugged back.

"Lets go to my shed, I need to write some things down, pumpkin."

**Mooney.**

The sandy haired man was working hard, hammering on the large bag, with his bare knuckles, the bag itself had been magically strengthened to withstand the abuse given it by lycans in training.

Sweat poured off his brow ans he feinted and punched and kicked at the bag which had been charmed to dodge right and left and forward and back..not quite a sparring partner, but enough mass to knock one on his butt if they made the wrong move..

His thoughts were elsewhere as his body hammered and kicked at the bag.

_Man, I want a drink, I can't , no, Harry needs me, It would be so easy to crawl inside a bottle again..no don't think like that, you swore an oath to stop drinking and put your all into training.. Jame's cub needs me sober.. _

_maybe if I try and keep running, I can stop it.. stupid stupid stupid.. it doesn't stop, I need to get distracted from this, I need to get laid.. but who?..Tonks seems to be hanging around me a bit, but she's too young, plus nah.. she wouldn't be interested in me, I should talk to that girl there, at least she's a Were, and understands the whole thing.._

_Man, I need a drink.. _

**Vernon**

in the netherworld

an infinite time

""Vernon Dursley, how dare you abuse my son, you are a grown man and you should know better, he was just a child! "You freak, you utter bastard, you useless piece of toejam.."

"Lily, Please! Lily, Mrs. Potter! Please let me explain! Harry and I were working together, Please! Stop hitting me, let me explain!

"What?" What do you mean working together, somehow I missed that between all the abuse and name calling!

"Aach! James, Stop her for a minute, please, help me let me explain!, I beg you Lord Potter!, it was the Old Man's doing, Dumblethingy did something to us!"

Lily suddenly stopped hitting the man huddled on his knees. "What?"

"Old Man, who , what? Talk!" she was fiercely angry, glaring at the man.

Vernon put down his arms, slowly, as if to see in he still needed to protect himself from an angry witch.

"The Old man, Dumbledore, dumped your son on Pet and I without so much as a by your leave, and expected us to raise him.. but Harry told me that before he did, he set up some kind of wards which made us abuse him.. Harry is Pet's nephew, sure, I am uncomfortable around m..magic, but we would have raised him right, if anyone had asked, he's family..

but somehow, the Old man made us hate him and abuse him.. that greasy dark person, came once a month and made us take a potion.. and then he did something to our minds, made us forget... Harry found out and stopped it, and offered to help me and Pet get revenge.. he's a really good kid.." Vernon trailed off at the look of anger on Jame's face.

James spoke. "Greasy dark person.. did he have a hook nose and pale skin, always look angry?"

Vernon nodded.

"Does he look like this?" James' image flowed until he looked like Snape.

Vernon nodded until his jowls were flapping

James snapped back to his normal image with a gasp. "That's not easy to do.. so, The old man and Snape had you abuse my son and treat him like a house elf, but why?.. he was there when we made our will, he KNOWS that we didn't want Harry with you and Petunia, what is he up to?"

Two wraiths came out of th surrounding darkness, and solidified into two youngish men, twins who were familiar to the young Potters.

"Fabe, Giddy, what are you doing here?"

James asked, since Lily was sitting and looking into Vernon's mind, searching for evidence.

"We need to tell you what the goat is doing to our little sister and trying to do with our grand-niece"

This got Lily's attention, abandoning her rifling through Vernon's mind.

Vernon sighed as he was able to sit back in the chair someone had supplied for him,

He wondered if it would be worth the effort to run and hide from the wrath of his sister-in-law, and decided to just sit, since he knew she could track him through all of space and time if she wanted to do so.

He took out the prized , and only possession he was allowed here in the afterlife, a sphere, showing his wife and son, who were now in their Kensington flat. A fleeting thought crossed the man's mind.

"if this is eternity, how is it, they just lost their son, and for me that was fourteen years ago.."

He stared at the globe, not seeing, as young Archie was going around his mother's drawing table, hanging on as young children do when they are unsteady.

**Zoe and Archie Harrison**

Zoe was happy, her son was growing strong and intelligent, he could speak several words, and the time working with his Nanny, he was learning French as well as proper English. He was healthy and happy, and that made her happy.

She looked over her work, both on her drawing table and pinned to the walls, and the letters, photographs and recordings were nearby.

She stepped to a canvas and began to draw.

**Harry2**

In a compartmentalized of the mind of Alexander Cromwell, the backup image of Harry Potter kicked at the dry husk of what was left of Tom Riddle's accidental horcrux.

He pondered the information extracted from that mind and what to do with it. Some of the information was quite dark, but useful, some of it was truly dark, and Harry2 banished it into the ether. Memories of the many things that the evil man had done were stored away to be checked out later by someone else.

The prize of the collection sat on the mantle of the replica of the Gryffindor common room, a sphere of mist, swirling mist. Knowledge, filtered out of seven years of schooling, and fifty years of practice.. an entire lifetime of learning.

Harry2 was proficient with all of it, as he had practiced as much of it as he was able.. Occlumency, Legilimancy, dueling and combat skills, Runes and Arithmancy, Potions, as taught by Slughorn, a great many things.

A separate sphere held information, gleaned from that same mind.

The truth about horcruxes and prophecies. Where they were hidden and the traps of how to get them out.

And then there was the most important of information.

A single memory of Snape, on his knees telling Voldemort what he heard of the prophecy.. and asking if he could have Lily Evans as a reward.

And the memory of Voldemort saying he would consider it.

**Jeremy Quinn**

Private Quarters

Wolfpack training area

2000 hours

from:

Jeremy Quinn WO1(ret)

to:

Jean V. Dubois Lt Col (Ret)

_Jean, my friend, I have an offer to make that you might be interested in._

_I am currently training an army of werewolves into a fighting and security force..._

**Harry**

Harry ported to Shala's island and flew to the top of the crag where Shala had a nest.

"hello Shala, how are you today?".

The sleeping dragon opened an eyelid and peered at the wizard intruding on her nap.

"you know it's not a good idea to tickle a sleeping dragon."

"Well, sure, but I didn't tickle you, I just spoke.. I just wanted to let you know I am here on your island and I am going over there."

He pointed at the next island in the chain, the one he had not visited yet, where the house that was built into the rock was waiting.

The place that no one could find him with any magic, any science, and with any luck.. it was warded and hidden from every and all sources.

And it was the place that James and Lily had planned on hiding from Voldemort and the world.

The day they were killed, they were discussing how they ended up there, at Godric's Hollow, for they had a feeling that they were supposed to be somewhere else..James was looking for his missing invisibility cloak when the ward alarms went off, telling there were invaders outside.

The door blew in and there stood Voldemort, and behind him Snape, and Peter.

Harry would not find out these facts for a few years yet, but he had his suspicions.

His conversation was apparently ended when Shala dismissed him.

"Ok, I guess I will head out then."

He flew away from the snoring dragon and over the sea between the islands.. it was a perfectly warded and hidden place to be, and the only ones who could see it were those born of Potter blood, not even wives could see it. Children of a Potter could, but no outsiders.

Harry cruised up to the island and along the sharp rock face, and circled the tall granite peaks, seeing the twinkle of glass and metal in the gaps

between the stone promontories.

The structure was built in and around the living rock of the island, and was there, a thousand feet above the waves, and had clear sightlines to the horizon on all sides, all the way down to the water pounding on the rocks below.

There was an apparent landing zone in the center of the complex, and Harry moved his broom toward it slowly. As he came withing range, he could feel blood wards similar to the ones he had experienced when entering the defunct Black Island.

Harry heard in his mind. "Welcome home, Lord Potter"

as he crossed the threshold and touched down.

**Luna**

outside of time, watching the golden threads move and stretch.

Threads from alternate worlds faded into nothingness, The link to a reality where the couple abandoned the tent in the snow, ceased to exist in any reality. Many multiple realities dissipated without even a pop. The paths ahead were hard and many things had to be done to bring them to pass, and some would, some would not.

Luna sat on a precipice looking out over a herd of snorkacks grazing, while petting a cat in her lap.

The cat's red collar had a tag. "If found, return to Schrödinger "


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The Power (they do not use)

Harry entered the compound built upon a pillar of rock, thrust up out of the cold, unforgiving ocean.

The plateau upon which the structure was built was two thousand feet long and a third more wide, and the first step out the front entrance was a doozy, for the next step was just about a thousand feet down, and that was nothing but cold sea water.

The pillar upon which an ancestor of the Potters had built had no shore, no landing zones, no harbor. It was also charmed to be slick, so there would be no climbing either.

The ward structure was such that only The Head of The Ancient and Noble House of Potter could give access, and make a portkey to that place. There were powerful and active anti apparition and anti portkey wards set to a distance of one hundred feet off the periphery of the structure, and thus, if you were fool enough to attempt either of those things, you would be bounced off, and find yourself in freefall.

Very few survived that situation.

As were all four of the islands, it was unplottable, with anti-muggle and notice-me-not wards active.

When Harry crossed the threshold of the keep he felt the house welcome him.

"Welcome home, Lord Potter."

He touched down and stepped off his broom, and put it in a waiting broom rack.

The landing area had broom racks, a place for what looked like carpet maintenance, and at least one carpet rolled up and waiting for use.

Inlaid into the floor tile, a large mosaic of the Potter crest, as well as on the wall straight ahead, the incoming people were going to be sure to know who owned the Keep.

An elf arrived to greet the young Lord.

"Hello, Lord Potter, Welcome home, it's good to have a Potter in residence again."

"Thank you, and your name?"

"I am Rudy, but you may have heard me as Shakin' Jake or Westside Slim, or one of many other persona.." Harry looked at the elf curiously, realizing that he somehow recognized the being, but couldn't place.

The elf was of the standard issue house elf stature, but dressed in a flashy Hawaiian shirt.

Harry questioned the elf.

"umm does a name like Reggae Tom ring a bell?"

A great big grin spread across the elf's face, and he began talking with a Jamaican accent that Harry recognized immediately.

"Are you Reggae Tom? ?" the elf nodded and then Harry realized that he had spoken the other names with each their own accent and language.

Do tell, and are there any others here?"

"Yes we have a team that works from this location, as well as the staff of Radio Sunshine."

Harry recognized the name of the mysterious pirate radio station that had been broadcasting in the UK on and off for years.. He had thought he recognized some of the names that the elf Rudy had mentioned because he, Harry had been quietly listening to pirate radio for years.. first using a portable that Dudley had broken and thrown aside and then later with a wizarding wireless that had been charmed to pick up normal broadcast radio.

The music and voices on those stations were sometimes the only lifeline he had to sanity during the early summers at the Dursleys..and here it was he actually owned the station

"What does your staff do?" Harry and Rudy were walking along the main corridor of the facility now, towards the private quarters. Rudy pointed out the publicly accessible spaces and their purpose.

"One of your ancestors was the inventor of the pensieve, some seven hundred years ago, and he started the listeners."

"Listeners?"

"Yes, He wanted to hear music and performances from other lands and sent listeners to go and listen and watch, and bring the memories back..

We have archives of many of history's great musicians and orators, plays and theater, not to mention recounting history and folk tales.

"I have always been interested in music, and it is my business as well as love, I find interesting music and share it with the world, Via Radio Sunshine."

"Well, Rudy, you have made some of my darker times more livable while I listened to you.. I can't tell you how many weeds I pulled while listening to Toots and the Maytalls."

"Glad to be of service.. our broadcast brings in hundreds of letters a week from the norms, and quite a few from the magicals as well."

"Here we are, these rooms were last used by your parents before they were tricked.. your room was over there, and theirs here.. this is Mistress Lily's office and this is Master James".

He pointed out a pair of matching offices with windows that looked out over the sea, centered directly on Shala's island.

Harry could see the steam rising from Shala's nest, indicating the dragon was still sleeping.

He glanced over the papers and books strewn across the desk, as if the owner had just walked out of the room for a moment, expecting to return in a trice..Harry closed his eyes in something like despair and loneliness, but that passed in a millisecond. On his mother's desk, a teacup with long ago evaporated tea leaving a stain in the dry cup.

He crossed the large common room , glancing at the kitchen, with a pot on the stove, and a teacup on the sink sideboard. He peeked into his parents room, clothes, dirty laundry, a hastily made bed, he backed out, not wanting to disturb the ghosts of the past. He then looked into his room. Toys, child sized clothes, an apparently happy place, where a male child lived, and was loved.

"Why did they leave, they were safe here, no one, not even Voldemort could get to them here.?"

"I do not know, Lord Harry, I do not know. Their elf went with them, and was killed, so we sealed these rooms in wait for your return, so you can tell us what you want done."

Harry turned to face the elf, Rudy.

Can I call an elf here safely?"

Rudy nodded, "as long as the elf is bound to you or House Potter, yes."

Harry thought about it for a moment.. "How about a free elf?"

Rudy thought about it. You mean Dobby, don't you?"

"You know about Dobby?"

"Every elf knows about Dobby, he is a celebrity, he is free and yet bound, an unusual situation for an elf."

"Well, better safe than sorry. Harry pulled out his communications mirror.

"Dobby?"

The mirror fogged and then Harry saw Dobby's face.

"Whassup dude?"

Harry was shocked, not expecting to hear this form of address.

"Well, Dobby, I want you to see if you can sense where I am at, don't try too come here yet, though, the wards my hurt you."

Dobby nodded and could be seen feeling the ether for Harry's presence.

"You are near the Dragon, but behind wards.. I think I can get there, Shall I try?"

"I want you to be safe, do you know Rudy?"

"O, sure man, he's the radio cat.."

"He is here with me, if that helps."

"Let the wards know that Dobby is free to enter, you are Lord Potter after all."

"I see. "I Lord Harry James Potter allow Dobby, the free elf access to Potters Keep as a member of my family in good standing."

Dobby, on the other end of the mirror link spoke up.

"I could feel the wards changing to accept me. Be there in a mo'"

less than ten seconds later, Dobby popped into the room.

"do either of you know any of the elves who worked with my parents?"

Rudy nodded, but Dobby did not.

"I would like to speak with them sometime, I need to figure out the puzzle of why they left"

"What do you want to do with their quarters, Lord Potter?"

"for now, leave it as is, I need to go through the paperwork and all, I will use some other quarters, are there any nearby?"

"I would say so.. the current population of Potters Keep is less than fifty, and all of those except four are elves., we do have a vampire, two goblins and three ghosts." the went out into the hall and Harry closed the door.

"We have facilities here to house fairly comfortably seven thousand people, although quite a few of those would be in a barracks, below decks."

Both Dobby and Harry stopped walking and looked at Rudy with a question in their minds.

"Below decks?"

"a hundred and fifty years ago, your ancestor Lucas Potter was a sea captain, he owned a fleet of ships, and did business all around the world, and he referred to the lower levels as 'below decks', and we just picked it up, if you look at it from the right viewpoint, it is almost like being at sea here."

"Makes sense, I guess."

They stopped at a door to a single 2 bedroom flat, that had a separate bath and a small kitchenette. It also had a spectacular view out over the ocean, and was facing about ten degrees off to the left of Shala's island.

"These will do just fine. I need to take control of the wards so I can let my friends in, can you lead me to the wardstone?"

"Indeed I can, follow me."

Rudy led the odd pair out the door and through a maze of corridors and tunnels to a chamber with a great carved wardstone, that focused the power of the crossing ley lines and powered the wards.

As long as this stone existed in the form it was presently, as long as the turning of the Earth around the Sun powered the magic of the land and sea, the wards around Potter Keep would stand.

Harry stepped up to the plinth where obvious control runes were engraved.

He placed his hands at the appropriate places, and he felt the power envelop and accept him, as he was the Last Potter, or maybe the first of many more Potters.

He could see inside his minds eye, the entire Keep, and with little effort could sweep through any tunnel, corridor room or chamber, and know if there were any threats.

He left the Keep mentally and circled Shala's island, noting that Shala was still sleeping. He swooped over the spider webbed island next in the chain of four, and saw the spiders industriously gathering silk and carrying it to the portal, and another group carrying away livestock on a regular basis.

He floated across the ocean, swinging around the dark edifice that was Azkaban, noting the dementors patrolling the shoreline.

He moved in towards the mainland, skimming across seventeen miles of territorial waters, noting a few fishing trawlers coming and going, but no real sea traffic.

He drew himself back in with a shock, gasping for breath.. "Wow!."

"I hope there is a book or journal on how this was created, Hermione will surely want to see this."

"That may not be possible, Lord Harry, until the lady in question is a Potter, it may be sanctioned."

Harry looked at the elf, his mind working. "Well, that may just be incentive for her, then."

The trio wandered through the Keep looking and learning their way around, meeting some of the inhabitants, and finding out their jobs and specialties.

They ended up in a dining hall, and sat down to some dinner, as it was getting dark.

Harry's mirror beeped and he answered it.

"Hello, Bill, how are you?"

"Quite well, Harry, I have the things I need to teach your next lesson on warding, Fleur and I are heading to The Burrow now. Dad called on Ginny's mirror, he says Percy wants to talk about something."

"that might be interesting, keep me informed if you can, I am currently at Potter's Keep, I will have Dobby bring you and Fleur a portkey for tomorrow around noon, ok?"

"Sounds good, later." Bill signed off.

Harrys mirror chirped again, he sighed, then saw who it was.

He got up and walked over to the great windows looking out over the ocean and spent some time whispering with his girlfriend.

The next day, Bill and Fleur appeared in the receiving area, and Harry greeted them with welcoming arms.

"Welcome to Potter's Keep, possibly the safest and most warded place in the UK if not the entire world."

Bill stood, gazing about, looking at the invisible, feeling the wards, as that was one of his specialties. "What I can sense is quite powerful, I hope you will allow me to see the wardstones, please?" He sounded a little intimidated by the massive power that was apparent.

"We'll see, meanwhile, let me show you to your quarters."

He led the couple down the main corridor, much the same as Rudy had done for him only the day before.

They ended up in the dining hall overlooking the island chain to the south and Harry pointed out Shala's nest and the spiders island beyond.

"I am inviting those I trust here for a conference of sorts, it's time to take action, well, not immediately, but soon, and we need to plan and organize."

Fleur was very pleased with her place in life. "Thank you Harry, for the opportunity to work with Nolan, He is a legend in the world of finance, he has made fortunes and managed many world wide enterprises, I am 'onored for the chance.."

"I know he is considered the best, Fleur, that's why I offered him the job, and the retirement benefits that go with it.. he will be a part of our community for the rest of his life, whether he works or not, and I know you will rise to the occasion of replacing him on the world scene.. I have some huge things I want to do, and I want to make the right decisions, and I feel that you will be the right person for the job, I know that you have the learning and classes, and with us, you will get the experience."

"I also understand that you two have news for us, have you told Arthur yet?"

Bill flushed as well as Fleur. "Actually I was going to do that this week, He called me and I need to talk to him, and yourself about a few things.. you see, Percy has contacted me and he has some very disturbing news."

"Oh?, how so?"

"well, he has a list of many pages of crimes committed by the officials in the Ministry, and he has been instructed to overlook these things, as they were committed by his superiors.."

"I see, interesting, and if I recall correctly he works for Barty Crouch Sr., and also for Fudge himself, correct?"

"That's right."

"Are you telling me that Percy is not really acting like a prick, like your brothers think, but it is a protective cover of sorts?"

"That would be a correct assumption.. Percy has always been a stickler for following the rules, but deep down, he really is a decent guy.. he has suppressed his more outrageous urges and funneled his energies into being the perfect public servant."

"Urges?"

"you didn't know him when he was younger, he was a prankster worse than the twins, and just as clever..but he could do it with a straight face and not get caught." Bill laughed. "When he was Head boy, he pulled some gags and got the twins blamed for it, they never suspected."

This got Harry's attention. "So what does he want to do, he called on you, and I assume he wants Arthur's advice as well.."

"He just wants a safe country for himself and his fiancé to live in and raise kids, you know her, I believe, Penelope Clearwater?"

"Yes, she was kind to us younger kids in my first two years, nice girl.."

"Well they want to get married, and I want to help them.. I was going to contact Dad today or tomorrow, do you have a floo here?"

"No, the floo is not safe and it is controlled by the Ministry, the only way in here is via portkey or a very precise apparition zone, while in flight as well as coordinates."

"I don't understand."

"Come here.."

Harry rose and walked over to the floor to ceiling windows on the outer wall of the room. "Push your ward sense out there, about a hundred feet or so" Bill did so and he could sense heavy anti app and anti portkey wards as well as something else.. layered and sliding over each other like finely oiled machinery.

"If anyone attempted to apparate or portkey in here, uninvited, they would bounce off those wards, likely stunned, since they are quite powerful. Now, stunned and unconscious, not a good place to be in at this altitude."

he gestured toward the ocean waves a thousand feet below.

Realization dawned on the ward-breaker's face. "So that's why you had to make the portkey for us, you are the only one who can, aren't you.. but what did you mean about flying?"

"Well, if you were to fly up to the correct altitude and apparate here, your broom would hold you up, but you would still have to thread your way through the layers of wards, and only into the receiving area, where I met you.."

Harry looked at Fleur. "Fleur might be the only one who could do it without a broom, and only if she were able to transform into her bird form quickly enough, even then, I would have to link her into the wards."

He grinned. "Not to worry, you will both have permanent keys to enter, based on the same protections as a head of house ring, that is, no potions, spells or outside magic could compel you to bring anyone not allowed in."

Fleur spoke up at this, while pondering the sheer drop outside.

"Who else are you inviting to your meeting 'Arry?"

"Well, people I trust, Hermione is the first on my list, first on any and all of my lists.."He grinned and blushed a bit also.

"Mooney, you know him as Remus Lupin, he was a friend of my Parents, Sirius Black, he was my father's best friend and blood brother as well as my Godfather."

" Alastor Moody is working for me as a consultant, he is currently quite disillusioned with Dumbledore and the Ministry as well.. You already know Dobby, he is my elf friend, and quite the fighter in his own right."

"I intend to bring Nolan here, as he will be directing the economic side of our project, Andy and Ted Tonks, directing the legal side of things."

Bill nodded at each of these names, and held Fleur's hand, letting her know that it was good what Harry was doing.

"I have some muggle people to bring in as well, Jake and Miranda Granger, Hermione's parents, for they are both trained medical professionals, and both have experience in the military, Jake was a combat medic with the SAS, Miranda worked with the military medical establishment as well, let's see, Jeremy Quinn, a friend of Jake's, he is retired military, and the head trainer for our lycan forces..I have been training with him as well."

"So you don't trust Dumbledore at all?"

"No, the man is quick to coerce and obliviate people at the drop of a hat.. the only way Hermione and I got through the last year is that we backed up our memories every single day, and let me tell you, that will organize your mind quickly.. it has made it quite easy for Hermione to learn Occlumency, but then she has a photographic memory as it is."

"So you learned occlumency?"

"No, I don't really need it, I have something Shala did for me, I can talk to her mentally, and I have a bit of connection with Hermione, you remember that day I scanned you, don't you?"

Bill certainly did, that was the day he had been formally introduced to Fleur..

"I wonder if you or your dragon can teach anyone else how to do that.."

"I don't know, but I am talking to a professional about it."

Harry referred to Mr Cromwell.

Over the next twelve hours, the rest of those invited came in varying ways.

Harry and Bill went over the wards and found out the control runes and modifiers, and Harry had Bill swear an oath of secrecy over what he had learned about the Potter defenses.

They did discover another way in and out of the wards, deep down inside the solid stone of the island, between the floors , a freight elevator, with large platforms that floated in and out of their parking spots on each floor.

One was made specifically for transporting people, several for food, goods and purchased items, and some were just general purpose pallets.

The bottom of the elevator shaft had a room with no other access, with a locked pair of doors at the back, and behind those secure doors another room, This room however had the magical equivalent of magic eyes from all sides and above,

This room was essentially a large vanishing cabinet, secured and impossible to break out of from the inside.

When the island was about to receive a food shipment, the doors were secure, and the large food pallet was transported from the outside world into the receiving chamber, and scanned for any life forms, hostiles, hidden or invisible tracers..anything that could give away their location.

Whichever of the Potters that had built this system was paranoid indeed, Moody would have been proud, constant vigilance, with good reason.

The outside world had several locations which could receive and send shipments through to the island, Those locations were totally innocent, untraceable. To get through, the shipment or people or whatever had to be on one of the pallets, platforms, there was no other way and on top of that, the only thing that could transport one of those protected pallets was a key, secured in the ring of a trusted individual.

Layers upon layers.

Harry was reading the information on this system, and discovered that it was invented and created by his grandfather, Charlus Potter, who, it seemed was a pureblood wizard who made most of his fortune out in the muggle world, He owned a shipyard, that had it's main location in Scotland, near Glasgow. He also invented and created the business of commercial shipping containers, with standardized sizes and shapes.. He thought it up and had the prototypes built and sold the whole thing to other people to run it, although, the Potter estate received licensing fees on the order of half a billion pounds a year.

The shipping pallets that went to and fro from Potter Keep were standard sized shipping containers, enclosed, eight feet wide, ten feet tall, and twenty to sixty feet long. You see them every day, on the backs of lorries, trains, piled high on ships.. hundreds of thousands of them.

The Potter shipments, were marked with runes and arithmatic codes that were obliterated once they returned to the normal world.. on each corner of each surface there were four codes, for a total of twenty four different numbers. Those codes all had to be in the correct order to come through.

Harry felt quite relieved that these were secure above and beyond what he could conceive of.. He made a note to thank his grandfather the next time he saw him.

The group gathered in the dining hall area and after a light dinner, they began to discuss the situation.

"I have asked all of you here, because you are the people I trust."

There are others who could not be here, but to be here, I have to trust you."

Harry looked over the gathering.

the day before:

Harry entered his parents rooms, and wandered around, not disturbing anything, just looking, feeling the presence of his parents, wondering what the days were like when they live here.

A few things seemed out of place, though.

His father's wardrobe was torn open and clothes scattered on the floor, as if someone was looking for something in a great hurry, and he could not find any wands, either of his parents wands, or any backups.

On the dresser on what appeared to be James side of the bed, Harry found a photograph of baby Harry and his young parents.

The adults waved to him, and pointed off to the main room of the flat, as if trying to direct him. He held the photo as he walked towards the main room of the flat, watching as the photograph images pointed.

In the main room he looked around, nothing seemed out of place,

There were a few toys lying on the floor where young Harry had apparently abandoned them, in all it looked like a very comfortable home.

The photograph in his hand pointed him towards the offices. The doors faced each other, but there was a privacy wall between the two offices, so that the occupant could think or work in peace.

On a work table in James' office was a beige box with a small screen on it, with a keyboard, along with some books and papers. Harry recognized the Apple logo on the box as it was similar to the computers at his primary school. He glanced through the papers and found that his father had invested in the company in 1979, just about the time his mother was pregnant with him. This small box was a representative sample of the company's product, and it looked as if his father had been trying it out when he was called away.

There were more photographs of the Marauders in the office, along with a large portrait of James and Lily.

The images in the portrait were speaking, their mouths moving, but without sound. Harry activated the runes on his glasses and could see the magic coursing through the artifacts in the room, the pictures, the objects on the desk and shelves, and even the Computer.

On a guess, he felt around the portrait for a silencing charm and found it, de-activating it.

"..n't go back there, the old man is .. you figured it out, good, Finally we can talk to you..Harry, Son, we are so glad you made it here, you have to stay here, don't go back to Hogwarts, the old man is not your friend, in fact he is just as bad as Voldemort, do you understand, Son, please don't go back there.. get Sirius and Mooney and bring them here, they will help you.." James and Lily's images were both trying to talk at once, and were both talking over each other.

Harry just stood there, with a smile on his face and tears slipping down his cheeks.

After a short bit, where James and Lily were trying to fit fourteen years worth of questions and parenting into one one sentence, Harry waited, knowing that they would come around eventually.

Finally they petered out, and waited for him to speak.

"I have sure missed you both, and I wish I had you with me now, but I understand some of what happened, I will be going back to Hogwarts for a short time, but I will have my back covered, I have Mad eye and Mooney and the SAS training me and my people, so, don't worry..I know about the old man, He thinks he can get by me, but he won't, I assure you."

Harry paused to think.

"How did he do it?, how did he draw the both of you out of the Keep, you were more than safe here, you were protected against anything short of a direct hit from a Nuke..How did the old man trick you?"

"It was an elf, Harry, somehow he got to our elf and had her kidnap you, I don't know, with an Imperio, potions, I don't know.

"we had no choice but to follow you, try to get you back.. and he has that wand.."

"He had been trying to get us to stay at Godric's Hollow for the last couple months, claiming that it was the safest place for us to hide." "He set it up with everyone thinking it was Sirius as the secret keeper, but the old man himself set the fidelius with Peter as the secret keeper."

James face was twisted with anger at his former friend and the Headmaster both.

"In one action he killed us and put your godfather in Azkaban, and you into ten years of hell"

Lily was silent, letting James do all the speaking, for now.

An old quote surfaced from somewhere in the back of his mind, about the female of the species being more deadly than the male.."(kipling)

Lily's eyes were hard, and there was pain waiting for someone in the future,, he was sure of it.

After a bit James trailed off, his answer complete enough, as he looked at his son. Harry was looking at the image of his Mum, and the determination in her mien.

"I have seen that look on Hermione's face, when she knows something is wrong that needs fixed, and she's not afraid to take on anybody, anywhere, you're both going to like her, now how much of my life do you know about, can you watch me from where you are?, and how much of it can you tell me?"

Harry pulled over the chair and sat, and they both asked questions and he answered them, and vice-versa, In that single conversation, he learned more about his family than in the previous fourteen years, from any source.

later.

"So what resources have you gathered who is working with you?"

James and Harry were talking about plans while Lily pondered what Harry had told her about Hermione and his relationship with her.

"Well, first and foremost, I have The Keep here, and if you look out the window over there, see the steam rising?." James nodded. "That's Shala, my Dragon, we have worked together on a few things.. "

"You have a pet Dragon?, what kind?"

"She's not a pet, she's a friend, although one time she called me her pet, I have been meaning to talk to her about that.. a Hungarian Horntail, by the way."

Harry continued. "Even more important than money or armies, by the way I have a platoon or Lycan Warriors, a hundred and thirty trained werewolf enhanced fighters, trained by Mooney, Moody and Mr Quinn of the SAS, I have the ultimate weapon and trump card, the key to destroying the death grip the purebloods and Voldemort have on our world."

James and Lily were on the edge of their seats, awaiting the answer to their unasked question.

Harry glanced aside and gestured, and Hermione walked into the office as Harry rose to greet her.

They kissed lightly and Harry turned to his parent's portrait.

Dad, Mum, this is Hermione, the love of my life, and my future wife, when we are old enough."

Hermione curtsied to the people in the portrait, and said Hello with a quiet voice. Harry continued with his introduction.

"Hermione is considered the brightest witch of our age, and when we take our OWLS this year, she will get a minimum of twelve O's and probably be able to ace at least seven of the NEWT classes as well. She has been my best friend since first year and supported me in everything I do, without her I am nothing, I would be a hollow shell of a person without her."

"She is brave, caring, compassionate, and if we were to stay at Hogwarts, she would be a shoo-in for Head Girl."

Hermione's face was red from blushing, and she started to protest his effusive complimenting of her skills and abilities, but Harry stopped her.

"Don't sell yourself short, my sweet, I can document everything I said about you, point for point, so accept my praise of your greatness."

Hermione spoke up . "Don't let Harry sell himself short, in spite of his upbringing, he is, if not number two in the school, he is right up there, if he would apply himself, not to mention all his extracurricular activities not to mention his yearly confrontation with Voldemort and fighting off the manipulations of the headmaster.."

James spoke up first, after taking his wife's hand and looking to her for agreement. "Lily and I would like to be the first to congratulate you on your betrothal plans, and welcome you to the Potter family.. I think Herrmann is still around," Harry nodded at this, Herrmann was the vampire historian who inhabited the archives several levels 'below decks' and never came out of his studies.

"Hermann can take you to the hall of portraits.. it is where the only other portrait of us can be found, as well as portraits of all your ancestors back to the first Century BC, when the Romans were here in Britain, in fact you have an ancestor who looks quite like Miss Granger here, you may have heard of her, a Queen Boudicia?"

Hermione was a bit gobsmacked at this revelation.

"How would I know, or find out?"

"Hermann has the skills and materials for an ancestry ritual, It should be able to trace you back at least a thousand years, maybe more."

Harry was looking out into the dark at this point, thinking.

"What is it Love, Riddle?"

they had taken to calling Voldemort Riddle, so as to not give the dark wizard any more respect than he needed.

"No, it's not.. It's the other dark lord, Dumbledore..he used an elf somehow to kidnap me and draw my parents out to their deaths.."

he turned to the portrait.

"What do you remember of that night?, are you just memory portraits or can you think original thoughts?"

Harry had learned about the types of animated portrait in his studies.. A memory portrait had just that, the memories of the portrait's image, and could only respond based on that memory. There were a few types which could think an original thought and be active in a conversation or argument, but they were just copies of a person's essence, not the real person themselves, otherwise the wizarding world would have never created such a dark object, keeping the wizard's soul and spirit bound to a physical object. The third and most rare of portrait was one that could be inhabited by the spirit of the person themselves, but that person would have to slip loose of their ties in the afterlife, essentially be a ghost.

James and Lily were of the third type. This was the first time they had inhabited this portrait since their murder, but it came naturally, since they had much unfinished business on the Earth, what with their killers still on the loose.'

"Son, we have to leave for a time, to recharge a bit, but we will come back again tomorrow if that's all right."

"Ok, you will be in a meeting with some of my associates, so be ready for a lot of questions."

We will, Bye for now."

The life faded from the portrait and it was once again, just an average wizarding photograph, with the images smiling and waving at the viewer.

Harry sat there quietly for almost twenty minutes, holding Hermione and gazing out into the dark, watching the reflections of the Moon on the sea.

She said nothing, not wanting to disturb his meditation. Finally he spoke.

"Dobby"

The reconstituted elf appeared.

"What's up, dude?"

Dobby was certainly cool now. He was wearing leather and denim, and motorcycle boots. His buzz cut hair offset his bronze green skin nicely.

Harry continued to watch the sea.

"Dumbledore somehow tricked an elf into kidnapping me from my parents' flat, using me as bait to draw them out."

"I want you and whomever you can recruit to figure out how he did this, and how we can block this from ever happening again."

"The elf, I believe was Janey, my parents family elf, somehow the old git did something to her, and controlled her." "When he was done with her and my parents were dead, either she died from something, or he killed her, I do not know." "Please find out how and what we can do about it."

Dobby took this in, and in an instant, Winky popped in beside him.

Winky had grown and filled out in her restoration as well. She was decidedly feminine, her features were smooth and pleasant, her hair was long, black and wavy, and the only indication she was not completely human was the golden green skin, and the ears peeking out from her hair,, in other words, a classic elf from many forms of literature and video game.

They bowed and popped away.

An hour or so later they returned.

They conferred quietly for a bit. And turned to the human couple.

"We think we know how he did it, you know what we told you about the elf bondage curse?"

Harry answered.

"Yes, your magic was ripped from your connection with the earth, and bound to wizards, and because of that your people became emaciated and starved, and the wizards justified their bondage of your people as proper payment for keeping you alive."

When I cut those bonds and re-tied them to the Earth, you were able to regain your proper size and stature..as you are now."

"What's that got to do with Janey?"

Winky carried on the explanation.

"Janey was James and Lily's elf, and they wanted to free her, as you have freed us, but they did not know how, or have the tools for the job."

"Janey was called out on an errand, to deliver a letter to Mister Doggy, when the old man captured her, and stunned her.. He did some blood magic on her, and took control of her actions, she was just a puppet to him. He made her come to the home of your parents and take you, and leave a note in your bed."

"When James and Lily found the note, they were stunned and spelled, and taken away by a very powerful portkey. The wards here keep people out, not in."

James and Lily were taken away, and put in that house, and that very night they were killed."

"The old man released his hold on Janey, and when she found out that which she had done, while being controlled, she died of heartbreak."

Harry pondered this story, and believed every word of it was probably true.. He waited and looked into Hermione's eyes, silently asking if she had an answer. Their thoughts passed silently one to another, and Harry nodded. "Very well, gather all elves who are not on duty somewhere into the dining hall, I want to talk to them."

Dobby and Winky popped away.

Harry stood and took Hermione's hand. "Shall we?"

"Now then, I have asked all of you here to give you the opportunity to be free to be the people you are born to be..As you see, Dobby and Winky have been freed from the curse that has bound the Elvin race for so long, I want to give each and every one of you this gift, as well as that of any other elf, free or bound that you can contact."

"I make this offer freely and ask nothing in return, other than your friendship."

He held out his hand and the Sword of Gryffindor appeared in flame.

"Who is first?"

Rudy stepped up. "Hit me Jack"

Harry swung the sword and incanted the ritual phrase.

"Take the bondage from this elf and return his connection to Gaea where it properly belongs."

Invisibly, the bondage that kept the elf in check was removed and reconnected to the ley lines of the planet. Since the Keep was sitting directly on the intersection of four or more ley lines, the elf was hooked up directly to the magical grid for the first time in his life.

Until this point, Rudy had been attached to the House of Potter, by way of The Keep and Radio Sunshine. Now he was a free agent, and could go anywhere at will, and with much more accessible power.

What most did not know is this:

House elves and elves in general have no magical core. House elves had been bound to wizards for generations hand had been fed the equivalent of thin gruel forever, because of this, their bodies atrophied, and shrank over the generations, and were in a real danger of dying out,

Now Harry was able to cut that bondage and 'plug them in' to the real power source, things were going to be different, and quickly.

Rudy had to sit as his body grew and filled out, Dobby handed him nutrients and protein formulas so that the magic had something to work with, as it is not efficient to create mass from energy.. sure it could be done, but it is less painful to do it this way.

The elves of the keep lined up and each was freed to return to their proper natural state, and Harry told each that any elf they brought to him would be freed in the same way.. this would also free that elf from bondage to a family or person, which would fulfill Hermione's goals of S.P.E.W.

That night every elf in The Keep was freed and the next night, elves from every Potter property were freed as well, and almost to a being, they all returned to their work, since the care and respect of the Potter clan was known worldwide.

The revelation of how Dumbledore had killed his parents made Harry even more determined to take down this dark lord..

He was laying down for a nap when a comment James had made made him sit upright in bed, eyes wide.

"Elder wand?"

All the Lycans had been brought to the island and currently were practicing hand to hand techniques on the upper plateau of The Keep.

The topography of the plateau was at the top of the stone island, the outer perimeter lined with walls of stone forty or so feet high, and the gaps between filled in with constructed buildings.

The enclosed area had trees, a meadow, running and walking paths, a garden of various blooming flowers, things that make life easier.

Mr Quinn, WO1(ret) was wearing his people down, making sure they knew what to do in any and all circumstances, how to protect their own, and make their enemies pay, by way of take-down or blood if needed.

This particular day they were practicing hand to hand combat, Krav Maga and working with various improvised weapons, sticks, staves, kendo swords and paintball guns.

At 1500 hours Quinn blew his whistle and all the participants stopped what they were doing and formed on his location, in loose lines, listening closely to what he was about to say.

"Tonight is the full moon, you all are feeling a bit antsy, form a line and the quartermaster will see to it you all get your wolfsbane for today, once you have gotten yours, you are dismissed for the rest of the day, There will be food available in the camp, keep your homing key with you, wear it tonight, don't get yourselves hurt, and have a good run this evening."

"Dismissed!" The lycans all formed a loose line and was each given a cup of potion, and as they walked away, were given butterbeer or water or juice to get the bad taste out of the mouth.

Harry and Sirius stood by and greeted each and every one of the troop by name and thanked them for working hard on their training regime,

Most wandered off to eat and drink before the scheduled moonrise, Some kicked as football around, some sat quietly meditating, and enjoying the evening Sun.

The general attitude was one of happy piece, for before having been recruited for the Lycan army, their lot in life was horrible, always scrounging and working too hard and having to hide themselves away, most without Wolfsbane or anything that would help. All in all it was like a combination family/college reunion.

The Lycans not associated with the army also came to the plateau to join in, the ones who were too old or young, or not inclined toward the physical/military.. Those who gathered potions ingredients in hazardous conditions, by smell, those who worked as livestock wranglers, those who were suited to investigative work or other things. On the plateau of Potter's Keep were the largest gathering of Weres in the western hemisphere, ever. And these were a percentage of all the Weres in the UK and western Europa, a very significant percentage, over 90 percent.

There were those still out there who, for whatever reason, did not or could not join, and of those most were aligned with the evil dark lord, and would likely not survive their first encounter with the well trained forces of the Wolfpack.

The Sun set, the Moon rose, and by then, most had changed into disposable clothing, which shredded at will and evaporated by morning,

They had set up places to hide from the cold weather, and each had been supplied with a locater beacon and a 'home' portkey so they could easily report in the morning. Barracks were made with hot showers, medical attention, fresh clothes waiting and food for the hungry, and the next day off with pay. In all, a pretty good, if not perfect life.

There would be a time, not too far into the future, that people would ask to be turned, for the benefits of being Lycan outweighed the negatives.

The gathering of wizards and witches and various magical and non-magical peoples came together in what had become a familiar and comfortable place. The dining hall.

There was always the makings for tea and nibbles and the sitting area was warm and comfortable with the fire burning and the view calming and pleasant most of these summer days.

Alastor Moody was speaking:

"We need to set up a chain of command, so everyone knows who to report to, with a minimum or confusion.. coordinated movement of people and equipment and money should be efficient and thought out."

"Harry is the commander in chief, by default, because this is his place, and we are all guests here, his money, as well as Sirius', paying the bills, and unfortunately his war, since the prophecy he has been saddled with had made the two dark lords bent on his destruction."

"If we let either of these dark lords stay in power, our people are doomed, sooner, if not later.."

"The scientific types can explain the reasons why our people are perched on the edge of extinction, and I think we all agree that this is not a good thing."

He gestured to the vampire. "Our historian has facts and data that tell of a steadily declining race of magical people, cause by ourselves from within and without." Herrman nodded at his recognition.

He gestured to Nolan Weasley, who gazed back with his Italian sunglasses and white suit.

"Mr Weasley here could tell us about the corruption and money crossing the palms of our enemies, and how we could and should wage economic warfare with little risk to ourselves."

Moody stood behind Arthur and the newly arrived Percy and put a hand on each of their chairs.

"Arthur and Percy here, have shown you some of the things that are being done in the Ministry by out unelected officials.. how they are bypassing the laws they are supposed to uphold, and then there is this misbegotten plan that the undersecretary has, to arrest the muggleborn for stealing magic? My gods, are these people insane?"

"I myself visited the camp that the Ministry is paying for, being constructed..they don't intend to treat their prisoners well." he was grim.

"He moved next to the chair shared by Harry and Hermione.

"This young couple have done more for the people of the magical world in one year than Dumbledore has done in twenty.. Miss Granger, I respect your ideas and I for one, support you.."

"For those of you who do not know her plan, it is simply this, Knowledge should be shared and saved, and lost knowledge should be found and preserved." "You all know that the Potter library here is bigger than the one at Hogwarts, and most likely the Ministry put together?", well then, Our Miss Granger here wants to increase it by, what did you say, a factor of ten?..well grand ideas need grand plans, I guess" Hermione blushed as Harry pulled her into a hug.

Moody grinned and poked at the young man.

"And this one, well, what can I say?, taking over the entire magical world and thinking the disposal of two dark lords is not all that important, boyo, you must have some great bigguns'

This time it was Harry's turn to blush.

He did however appreciate the hug and kiss on the cheek from his girlfriend.

"Ok, boyo, the floor is yours. Tell them your plans."

Moody sat down with a thump.

Harry stood, and every eye was upon him.

He conjured a stand and pulled out a photograph, which he unshrunk and placed it on the stand.

James and Lily waved to all the people they knew, and were mildly stunned at how old some of them seemed.

"I believe you all know my parents, James and Lily Potter.

We have a story to tell you."

The gathered people were quite in shock about the complete destruction of the grand old man's reputation.. the very idea he would do such a thing, but here were the spirits of James and Lily telling the tale, once you are on the other side, all the truths and lies come out, and the spirit can see the facts without any shading.

They told of the control of their elf, of how Janey was used to kidnap Harry and how they themselves were drawn out with charmed portkeys, in an effort to find and rescue their son. Of how they woke up confounded and obliviated at Godric's Hollow, and almost within minutes were under attack by Voldemort with Snape looking on.

At this point, they asked Harry to conjure a photograph of Vernon Dursley, which he did, not knowing why.

In their own photograph, they could be seen guiding a spirit into the new photograph, and once done, Vernon's image became animated.

"Harry, I wish it never happened, and I apologize for all the things I did to you, it was completely unfair and cruel what I did to you, I know Lily and James would have gone out of their way to raise my Dudley right, and well, I'm sorry..this is only part of why I have asked Lily and James to help me get into this picture.. I also wanted to thank you for giving my Petunia and Dudley another chance, to have a good life, I have been watching them, and they are happy, Thank you so much.!"

Harry explained to the gathering. "The day I found out Vernon and Petunia were being used as pawns against me, I freed them from 14 years of disinhibitor potion and some very suggestive spells..They were encouraged to beat me and abuse me at will, to be their house elf and do all the work, and be starved in the process, so that when I returned to Hogwarts, I would be pliable and easy for Dumbledore to control."

"By the way, Vernon, I forgive you, you were controlled just as Janey had been, you couldn't help it, and I will be keeping an eye on Petunia and Dudley for the rest of their lives, I will see to their happiness and safety."

The fat man sighed in relief.

"I should go now, thank you for your forgiveness, Harry, er Lord Potter, I know I don't deserve it, but I thank you for it."

Vernon turned to leave the photograph.

"Vernon, hang around a bit, maybe you might have a good idea or two, hang in there and listen for a while, ok?"

"As you wish."

Harry continued speaking.

As you see, Dumbledore has broken several laws in just dealing with me, illegal placement, sealing my parents will, setting up innocent people to be murdered, manipulations of the laws of or society and people, controlling muggles" he indicated Vernon. "Theft from our accounts, and wrongful use of our money" he pointed to Nolan Weasley who nodded in agreement.

"I find him to be directly responsible for the creation of the dark lord known as Voldemort, he knew about him all along, and did nothing, he has this misbegotten idea that I am the chosen one, and only I can destroy Voldemort, because of the story he himself created on that night in 1981."

"Andy and Ted here did real research, and found every step of the way, where Dumbledore created the entire myth and story of The Boy Who Lived, invented it out of whole cloth, and profited on it at the same time.. you have all seen the comics, and storybooks and Harry Potter dolls, and all the crap that is sold with my name on it, and not one bit of it with my permission?"

"What's worse is this..Ginny Weasley has been raised since she was a little girl with the idea that she was going to be my wife someday, that she was going to be Mrs Boy Who Lived, she was certain of it, because her mother told her so, and when Arthur wasn't looking, Dumbledore also came and planted that idea in her mind.. I have seen the paperwork, Arthur showed me, a betrothal contract, signed by himself, and he does not recall signing it;.. now I love Ginny, she's a great girl, but the truth is, she's like my kid sister, she's too much like my mum in looks and to me that's a bit squicky, and once we have freed her from the compulsions placed on her, she thinks of me as her brother, and the one she really likes is not here this evening, but once you see them together, you will know."

"Dumbledore set me up my first year.. before I even boarded the Express, How many times do you think Molly Weasley went through the portal at

9-¾ when she was at school, as well as all the times with her five sons up to that point?" murmuring which came to a consensus 'a lot'

"I was sitting there in Kings Cross wondering where to go, and she spoke loudly, "Now what was the platform number?"

"I mean, how obvious do you get?"

I was set up with the thoughts 'Slytherin bad, Gryffindor good' and that I should ally myself with the Weasley family, now for the most part that is a good thing, but Dumbledore has been using them as badly as he used Vernon here."

"Molly has been led around by the nose by this grand old man, and Ron, I think you all know Ron Weasley, Bill's youngest brother, well I don't know, but I suspect he has brain damage of some sort, he just doesn't act right, and I am afraid that from here on, I am staying well away from him." "I am sure he is reporting directly to the old man, and I don't want that. Arthur, I'm sorry, but keep him away from Hermione and I."

The redheaded man solemnly nodded.

"Here's the facts, folks.

"Dumbledore has manipulations upon manipulations. He has so many things going on at once he probably doesn't remember he is a mere human."

"His manipulations are going to doom our world. His creation will cause much damage before it can be destroyed. I plan on eliminating the threat of Voldemort, I plan on eliminating the cult of Dumbledore, I plan on kicking the corrupt and criminal out of positions of power as soon as I possibly can."

"I intend for all magical peoples, no matter what shape or species that we all have a real vote in what goes on in our world, and I also intend to do what is right to help bring back our people from the brink of extinction."

"I have seven principles I want to read you."

_One:_

_The magical people of the UK and the World are at risk of extinction, We need to increase the birth rate significantly, of magical people. We need to diversify the gene pool. This truth, unfortunately applies to the non-human races as well as the human"_

_Two:_

_Our government is corrupt and criminal. It needs to go, and be replaced by a true representative democracy. We need to tie the rules of law that apply to the mundane world to the magical world. An enforceable and legal set of laws with proper checks and balances._

_Three:_

_All magical peoples shall be treated with fairness and equality, regardless of shape, species, ancestry or nationality. No people shall be held in bondage for any reason. There is a wall of distrust between our various races and species. We must find commonalities between us, and build bridges of trust_

_Four:_

_Knowledge is power. Knowledge should be increased and saved, protected and shared. Knowledge should be taught freely and without agenda._

_Five:_

_History shall be collected and saved, and verified, without agenda or revision. History shall not be written by the just victors, but by the losers as well. Culture and societies should be respected and protected, without agenda or cultural bias_

_Six:_

_Respect The Earth_

_The Earth is being damaged by the creations of man, both mundane and magical. Any place or time we can repair the damage, Magic will return. This shall be a priority._

_Seven:_

_People with special gifts should be sought out and protected, and proper training for them, so they can live happy, productive lives._

_Seers and Empaths and diviners shall be protected from the damage caused by public contact._

_Those who suffer from mental illnesses shall be helped in the most humane ways possible._

Harry laid down the list he was reading from and looked around the room to each of his commanders.

"Each of you is the person I have called to be a Commander of your specialty. Each of you, I would like you to take these basic principles and review them for a few days, and I want your input."

"Let me make one thing very clear, and understand it.

"I am not the king, I am not the Caesar, Emperor, Chosen one, or an incipient dark lord."

"I am Harry, boyfriend of Hermione, and once this war with the two dark lords is over, I want nothing to do with being Minister of Magic, Lord over any peoples or persons, I just want to run my businesses, work in my shop and build and experiment, and hopefully raise a lot of little Potters."

"Good night"

He took Hermione by the hand and left the room.

The people hung around for several hours that evening, talking and discussing all manner of things,making potential plans and laying out various ideas.

Harry and his girlfriend went to his rooms and sat in front of the fire, holding each other and whispering in their minds.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17.

The meetings went well, and the various people came up with some good ideas, and the seven principles were updated and refined. Many things suggested were taken and put with one of the principles as a related thing, and once done, they would refine each principle to cover whatever that subject was.

After one meeting where they were discussing types of economic warfare, Harry pulled Sirius aside.

"We need to talk to Luna's dad, and discuss his articles, what he is saying."

"He's writing the truth, isn't he, that's what you asked of him, that and publishing three times a week, right?"

Sirius was impressed with the new Quibbler, sure it had it's fanciful things, but it also had some of the most comprehensive coverage of the political state of the wizarding world, both here in the UK and in Europa as well. The man had contacts, and they were good at what they did.

"No, I have no problem with what he is saying, per se, but that he needs to say it more, I would like to see some commentary from intelligent people on the situation at hand. Editorial opinions, maybe, I wonder if Rita can be trained?"

Sirius got a look on his face. "I haven't seen or heard anything from her is a couple months, have you?"

"I got a message from her just before she went home to Norseland, something with her father, if I recall."

"well leave her an M-mail or something, so we can get something started"

Harry's mirror vibrated, and he got a mental message at the same time from Hermione.

~"_For your eyes only, love"~_

She had taken to carrying the little dragon around with her of late, and Shala was talking to her through it, and opening up the mental pathways to he same kind of telepathy that Harry had acquired once he met Shala.

Harry took out his mirror and subtly kept the screen averted from Sirius' view,

_~the image that came up was of smooth flesh, lovely pink and pale lace and that cute little birthmark on her right..~_

"Whats up there, pup, anything important?"

Harry quickly hid the mirror from sight, "Er, no, it's from Hermione, she just sent me a message, private, you know?"

The younger man was blushing, and trying to be invisible at the same time.

Sirius leered. Not saying anything, but raising an eyebrow.

"James used to get those kind of messages too, interesting.."

"Sirius! Bugger off!

Harry quickly left the room, and Sirius Black roared with laughter.

Mooney came in, looking back.

"What's Harry in a hurry about, did you do something to him?"

Sirius snorted and tried to contain his laughing

"It seems our young Marauder has been getting 'private messages' from Miss Granger"

Mooney's face lit up. "So, just like James and Lily?"

"Yep, like father like son." he looked happily in the direction Harry had fled.

"that's my boy" he whispered.

In her capacity of

'Seer of possibilities', Luna watched happily as

Harry bonded with Hermione and the many potential realities where he

were to die painfully alone at Voldemort's hands disappeared one by one from her mind.

No one realized it, but the summer went on nicely, Harry didn't have to be in pain and depression about the end of the third task, as Cedric didn't die and although Voldemort did manage to recreate his body through dark magic, he also suffered the fiery wrath of Shala, he also lost several of his minions to the hands of the Wolfpack.

Luna wrote several things down to discuss with Harry once she and her father returned from their trip into the Nordic lands searching for yet another mysterious and rare creature.

Her sessions with Mr Cromwell had been quite useful and she had learned to separate parts of her mind, so she could focus on the current reality she resided in, and also see the other possibles without being overwhelmed.

The ability to separate the threads of fate and possibility made it quite a bit easier to find the turning points, and it was a rare thing any more that she was surprised by any unexpected turn of events.

Luna made it a point to check in with either Harry or Hermione every other day, and they always seemed happy to hear from her, the young Ravenclaw was gaining confidence in her newfound mental acuity and social awareness.

There were days that she missed her mum, and her father just wouldn't do, and Hermione suggested that Luna call her mother, Miranda and ask her for advice, She initiated a three way call with Miranda and the young girl was able to have some of her questions answered and fears calmed.

Luna was at an age where her body was changing and becoming more mature, and she was slowly becoming more comfortable with the changes. It turns out that the differences between witches and non-magical women was very little, only in the potions and small things.

Hermione had acquired, through Madam Pomfrey a book,

**The Compendium of Potions, Spells, **

**Treatments and Rituals for the **

**health and well-being of the Modern Witch**

The book had been created by a muggleborne witch, for muggleborne witches, and updated over the years by the various readers and users. There were articles in the book that related to subjects a hundred years before, as well as two articles written by Lily Evans, and three more later by Lily Potter. Hermione's first urge was to share the notes with Harry, as it was at least some form of contact with his parents, but she found that she could not share.. it was part of the enchantments on the book. In time, she herself would submit a chapter or two to this book, some of it taken directly from her own journals.

This book covered if not all, then pretty close to all things having to do with everything from hair care to contraception and growing old, make-up spells, birthing tips, how to hire a nanny, how to run an upper class household, the works.

Madam Pomfrey said it was the only book on the subject she would ever recommend, and indicated that there were some chapters that were sealed to younger girls until they reached a certain age, and that could only be opened by their mother or their health care professional. Madam Pomfrey, of course did this for Hermione's copy, and Hermione herself was hesitant to show this chapter to her mother, until she remembered that her mother was a health care professional and had her own copy of Kinsey's book as well as Dr Comfort's book and had let her daughter read them.

Miranda was bemused at the information given, and when she questioned Hermione about the book, found that it was only available to women, written by a woman, and thus passed from mother to daughter, Aunt to niece.

Deep inside, Hermione wondered if there was the equivalent version for the male of the species and determined to ask someone about it, she settled on Mooney, because she was sure that if she asked Sirius there would be a lot of joking and stupid silliness going on.

She thought about it and changed her mind and asked Madam Pomfrey and she indicated that there was such a book, and asked the Healer to see that Harry got his own copy.

The day Harry received his copy he was somewhat stunned at the amount of information he didn't know, and on the quiet asked Mooney why he was never told some of these things, and the ex-professor said:

"no one thought about it and assumed that you had been told, and it wasn't their place to tell."

Harry then called Sirius and Moody into a meeting, and Bill Weasley happened to be nearby, so he joined also.

"Guys, I have just received this book from Madam Pomfrey telling me all kinds of things I should have known as a wizard, and not one of you has taken the initiative and told me any of this, I know that only Siri is my Godfather , but geez guys, no one has said anything, so NOW I know about a lot of health things I never knew, and a lot of magic I could have been doing all along, underage or not, and this sets the question..What else do I not know that I should?"

He paced a bit.

"I am Lord Potter of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, with my ancestry traceable back to BC times, I know a little of that history, but are there things I should be doing as Lord Potter?, do I have any responsibilities that I am missing? Do I need to call Ted and Andy?"

The older men looked to each other, and to Sirius, since it was actually his responsibility,

"I also own several thousand million pounds worth of business in the mundane world and apparently quite a bit in the magical world as well."

" I am sure that there are things that I should know about that, I know we have hired Nolan, but still, I should know."

"I could ask my father, but I don't want to use what little time he can be here with us"

Everyone nodded at t his, The ability to inhabit a painting was stressful on the spirit of the person, and they could only do it for a few hours a week, at best.

Sirius sat up straight and tried to act serious.

He didn't know how.

"Um..err, pup,

"yes?"

"You see, when a wizard becomes a man.."

"Yeeess?"

"Er, there are , um..certain urges.."

"yeeeeessss?"

The men in the room broke up laughing at the look

Harry was giving Sirius..

"Forget it.. Mooney you tell him."

Sirius got up and stomped out of the room as Harry was literally on the floor laughing.

Later Bill took Harry aside and told him about the responsibilities of the Head of a family, as he had been taught by his father for when he himself took over the head of the Weasley clan. He also added some of his experience dealing with and working for goblins.

"you have to remember, they are not human and don't act human, they are alien, and as such think like aliens."

Harry nodded thinking.."So treat them as Ferengi or Romulans."

Bill wondered where Harry had heard of those names, and remembered, he was raised in a muggle environment.

Moody told him several things about dealing with the Goblins and the Ministry in general, and referred him to a book on Goblin culture and customs. He couldn't speak the goblin language himself, but he did understand enough.

Moody also gave Harry the complete set of Aurors training manuals, and taught him some things that were not in those manuals.

Mooney told Harry about how to navigate through the pitfalls of magical life and mundane as well, since he had to live in both worlds. As a werewolf, that is before joining the Wolfpack, He had many jobs, many places he had lived at one time or another, he had been on the bottom edges of society for so long, it was second nature.

He had learned how to survive in just about any circumstances, and shared many of these tips.

Any book recommended by the people he trusted was devoured, almost as fast as the pages could be turned.. It was quite unusual, and Harry made no noise about how he did it, but once he had gone through he book in question, a couple days later he could quote it verbatim, and knew the contents.

Another week of workouts and exercise and the practical was under his belt as well.

Those who asked about it were not told anything useful, and had to be content with that answer.

It had come to pass like this:

"Mr Cromwell, I want to understand how you have compartmentalized your mind, so I can store my own memory backups, and put aside things I want to think about later, what can you tell me, what are you willing to tell me?"

The odd man pointed out that he had already started the process with his mental file cabinets, and just needed to take the idea a step or two further.

This visit to Mr Cromwell's office discussing telepathy and the mind arts

Harry had gone into 'his' compartment and met Harry2, and the two exchange knowledge.. Harry2 had interrogated the partial Horcrux, and gleaned fifty years worth of information from that source, including where the other soul bits were hidden, at least where they were in 1981.

Harry also picked up a lot of magical ability, how to apparate, how to do a great many things, and none of it was considered dark.

Harry and Harry conferred and they decided to work on a way to destroy the bit of Voldemort in his head, and Harry1 gave Harry 2 a great many memories, private memories of the time he had spent with his girlfriend.

Harry2 smiled at this. "I am going to spend a bit of time reviewing these."

Harry returned to the outer world and Mr Cromwell gave him leave to use the man's methods to create his own storage system,

"Thank you sir, I have one more favor to ask of you."

"Yes, what is it?"

"It is my friend Luna's birthday soon, and I am having a painting of her mother made up, I have given the artist as much data to work with as I can, pictures, recordings, journals.. I would like to add a copy of her memories to the gestalt so it could have Mrs Lovegood's personality and essence, I know I can't bring back the dead, but it would be nice if I could at least give a gift."

"Well, lets go and speak to the memory of Mrs Lovegood, and see what she thinks of the idea."

That day, Harry left the office of Mr Cromwell with a copy of Mrs' Lovegood's memories stored in his own mind, in a nicely decorated compartment, much like the berth of a train. Harry had given the being a copy of all his memories of Luna and Xeno Lovegood and was mentally hugged by the woman.

The evening of the same day found Harry knocking on the door of a Kensington flat, the home of Zoe and Archie Harrison.

Zoe answered the door and smiled widely, grasping her distant cousin with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

As was her usual attire she was wearing a variety of colors, handwoven blouse from Ecuador, sandals from Mindanao, Paint smudges and splatters on her apron.

Little Archie was walking now and shouted "Unka Hawwy Unky Hawwy" and ran with that funny run that two year olds do, practically falling into Harry's knees, and grasping tightly.

Harry grinned and picked up the cute little kid.

"Looks like Archie is growing like a weed, Zoe, gonna have to get him a bike soon."

Harry pinched the pink cheeks and tried to pull back when the little boy hugged his face with a sloppy wet raspberry.

"Now Archie, your uncle loves you, but you mustn't slobber on him.. too much"

She grinned at Harry as she extricated Archie from his arms, and handed the boy off to the nanny, Mirabelle.

"What's the exciting news you called about Harry, I am all done with the commission you gave me for Selene."

"Good, good, I have here in my mind, the essence and memories of the lady in question, and I think it's time to put her into her new home."

Harry had spent some time talking with Xeno about this project, and the man was between minds about it, he did and did not want to do it, but in the end, decided that the small pain he would get from remembering his loss was worth it because it helped his daughter.

Xeno had cooperated and supplied photos, recordings, journals, everything. And as a final bit he also supplied a few hairs from an old hairbrush that he knew was his wife's..

Harry had taken these tokens as well as the memories that Cromwell had allowed to be copied and now was ready to finish the job.

Zoe(formerly Petunia) prepared the canvas with the inert painting of Selene Lovegood and stepped back.

"All right Harry, I have done my part as well as I could, and now you do your magic."

Harry looked at the painting and it looked as fine as any classic painting in the Royal Museum or the Louvre.

He carefully poured out the memories as he incanted the appropriate words, and the runes on the back of the painting glowed as the magic took hold.

The image in the painting twitched and stretched, stood up from the couch upon which she was setting, and stretched like a cat, with a big toothy yawn.

"My, this is nice, it looks as if you have given me a suite to work with here," she looked around, through doors off to the left and right. She opened the door on the left side of the painting and called something with a tchk tchk of her tongue, and the oddest looking creature bounded in and up onto the couch.. about the size of a terrier dog, but blue, tending toward octarine and a twisted looking horn.

Selene sat down on the couch and patted her lap, and the creature hopped up and settled down in what was obviously it's favorite spot.

She pet the creature and it hummed with pleasure, and Selene faced her creators.

"Thank you Harry for the opportunity to somehow help my daughter, to possibly help her overcome her grief.. I have watched her sessions with Mr Cromwell, and I miss her so."

"Well, she's a very special person to me and my family, and we want to give her a gift that will make her happy."

"Very well."

"Are you going to wait for her birthday or are you going to bring me to her now?"

Harry looked to Zoe. "Are you done with it?"

"I believe so, I have spent more than a month working on this one portrait, and I believe it is finished."

"Well if it's done, then I see no reason to hold delivery, lets go"

Zoe hustled out with a large flat box to carry the portrait in, and Harry put high strength charms on all sides of this box.

He shrunk the item and put it in his bag and gave Zoe and Archie hugs and was off.

Before he left, he gave Zoe a message.

"Vernon is in the afterlife watching over you and Archie, he wants you to be happy, and My mum and dad are looking out after him"

Zoe/Petunia blushed.

"Thank you Harry, I find it inconceivable that you have forgiven them, us..but I am glad you did, because I am happy to know my sister's son."

Harry said nothing, but hugged his 'cousin' and left the flat.

Zoe picked up the waddling Archie and kissed him."You would do well to grow up like your Unka Harry, he's a good man."

It came to pass that Ted and Andy Tonks gave Harry a list of properties and their current status.. the hiring of a staff had moved a lot of things forward.

"This is surprising, it should be given back, there's no reason to hold it."

Harry and Ted were discussing the disposition of an area of land.

"Give it to who, and how?"

"Give it to the Centaurs, it was traditionally their charge, according to Hogwarts, A History, well the older editions, I'm not sure what's in the current edition."

Hogwarts, a History was updated every couple years, and sometimes there were those who tried to edit history, revisionists, the bane of Historians.

The edition that Harry had finally read, said that the Centaurs were given the rights to the land by The Founders, and it was their responsibility to oversee who was allowed into the forest, and who was not, all the while, nurturing the magical creatures and plant life there.

It had been lost to them during the rise of an unchecked dark lord who wanted to take it for a private game preserve, potions preserve.. It was protected by The Potter of the time, with the intention of returning it to it's rightful owners. Somehow it had not been restored until now.

"Ted, how do we do this so it cannot be taken from them again, forever, like.. what's the phrase 'in... in.."

"In perpetuity."

"yes, that's it.. in perpetuity..how do we do it?"

"Well, as the technical owner of the property you will have to sign off on it representing the magical world, transferring all rights to and over the land, but we will have to get the signature of the current Monarchy as well, to get it done from the Muggle side of things.

Harry frowned. "So that would be Diana, right?"

Ted nodded. The Widow Queen, her husband King Charles had been killed in 'an accident' two years before, leaving her in the position of Kings Regent and mother to the heir apparent. Diana had to lean heavily on the wisdom of her grieving Mother in Law, Elizabeth and the sister in law Sarah, and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. It was complicated but the royals managed the best they could.

Quietly there was an ongoing investigation into 'the accident' that had cost King Charles his life, and all the evidence pointed to magical involvement.

Jeremy Quinn was one of those investigating.

When he had been recommended by Jake Granger to Harry, and the retired Warrant Officer became a trusted adviser and trainer to Harry and his friends, and in the perfect place to find out what he could from this side of the divide.

While being involved with the wizarding world, Quinn sent out feelers trying to discern the guilty and the innocent, and found so much corruption and plain outright criminal activity in The Ministry, in the general leadership of the magical half of the country, his reports were required reading for those at MI-5 and their associates.

The day would come, and Harry would ask for help. This was that day.

Ted was speaking. "Ok, Harry, Andy and I will go with you, and speak with the Economics Minister, as that will be our easiest way into access to Her Majesty, here is all the information you have to put pressure on them, and you have read the etiquette books and all that, so all I can say is, whenever you are ready.."

"Tomorrow will work for me, It looks too late to do it today, I think."

Harry looked out the office windows to see the night lights of London shining on the water of The Thames.

"Ok, I will make some calls and let you know."

They stood and Ted and Harry shook hands, and Andy gave Harry a hug.

"Where are you going now, Harry?"

"I have a gift to give to Luna and Xeno.. I had a painting made of Selene Lovegood, and I was able to get a copy of her memories from Mr Cromwell, right up to a week before she was killed, anyway, it's Luna's birthday soon, and I am giving her the painting."

"Harry, that's wonderful, Selene was a lovely person, we always enjoyed being with her, She was four years behind us in school, but we always liked her."

"Luna is a sweet girl, and I think it will help her to not grieve so much. Hermione's mother, Miranda is a big help, but Luna needs a witch to talk to sometimes, so they tell me." Harry looked slightly confused, but determined.

"As soon as I found out I could do this, I set my mind to do it..you remember the Callahan quote?"

Both of the Tonks nodded. It was one of the things that Harry was basing his actions on. One of several quotes.

"**Shared Joy is increased, Shared Pain is Decreased"**

Harry had paid some investigators in The States to find the small tavern in Suffolk County New York, for he intended to visit when he got to that country.

No one knew, but Harry had taken to reading and not sleeping.

Since he had his mind sorted into compartments and organized, he slept very little, maybe two hours a night, that and about two hours of meditation a day, he was fully energized, and ready to go every morning.

One of the things he was doing during his non-sleeping periods, was to read, voraciously, fiction, non fiction, technical books, school books,

literature, everything and anything. He went on a SF reading spree and came across Arthur Clarke's quote

"**Any sufficiently advanced technology is **

**indistinguishable from magic**'

Harry pondered this and came up with a corollary,

"**Any sufficiently advanced magic is **

**indistinguishable from technology."**

He learned that lesson well, and took in the lessons taught in several books to heart.

From Heinlein, he learned about the Shipstone protections, where the technology was held in secret with the inventor, by not having any one person or company build more than one part of an assembly, and the case of their invention sealed against intrusion.

Harry had drawings of an invention he had in mind, one that would literally change the world, and use magic, still holding the Secrecy.

One of the projects he had started went to a machine shop in Surrey that normally did work on aircraft parts, and thus were familiar with titanium.

Harry's project consisted of a strip of titanium a foot wide and infinitely long, as it was flipped and welded and polished into a mobieus strip.

The next step was transferred to a firm that had a CNC router. The CNC router engraved a series of runes precisely around the strip, making three complete passes before it was done. That object now held quite a bit of magical potential and was taken to a plater's establishment and plated with Copper much like the Portal Harry had made on the loading dock before the Great Spider process was repeated ten more times.

The strips, once plated were shipped to a bonded warehouse near Gatwick Airport in London where it waited for the next part to arrive.

Harry and Sirius popped into the wards around the Lovegood residence.

"Good Evening Luna, Xeno."

"Hello Harry, Stubby, What do you have for us today?"

Xeno assumed that the young man and his Godfather had another story to give to The Quibbler, as they had done this exact thing several times before, coming by with evidence and notes and an interview for a story.

"Today it's personal, Xeno, we have something for you and Luna, for Luna, especially, remember the project I was working on?"

Harry asked the older man. Xeno's face brightened "It's done?

Harry nodded. "Luna, sit please, I have a gift for you. I know it's not your birthday yet, but I didn't want to wait.."

"What is it Harry?, I know it's important, but I cannot See what it is.. you know I cannot see or ForeSee anything about myself..

Harry just smiled, and pulled a package out of his bag, and resized it, followed by an easel.

He placed the package on the easel and when he saw the Lovegoods were ready, he pulled off the covering.

"Hello Luna, Xeno, I'm so glad to see you"

"Mummy!"

"Selene, love"

The reunion of the Lovegoods was sweet and happy. Harry and Sirius bowed out after receiving hugs and kisses from Luna and many thanks from Xeno.

On the way home, Harry received a call from Ted Tonks telling him he had an appointment with the British Chancellor of the Exchequer the next day at 1 pm. Harry thanked him and signed off.

the next day:

..."Mr Minister, here is a list of all the companies in the UK that I own outright or have a controlling interest in, see the percentages of ownership there?".

another sheet of paper with a long list of very large numbers.

"Here is a list of banks that have invested my money in people's homes, as mortgages, in peoples businesses, as business loans, as credit card debt.. what would happen if I called all that due immediately, in cash.. how many people would lose everything they have, how many jobs would be lost, how many people will file for bankruptcy and end up on the dole.?"

"How many people would be out of work if I just closed down all these companies, I could, you know..with impunity."

Harry sat back, Ted and Andi Tonks were holding their breath, waiting for an answer. Sirius just smirked.

"I could cash out, and take my families investments anywhere in the world, and the economy of England would collapse under it's own weight."

"Mr..Lord Potter, let's be reasonable here, I think that you may not understand the intricacies of the economic system, and threatening to.."

Harry sighed.

"Honestly Mr Minister, I would not do these things I have threatened, because it would hurt too many people, I just want you to know I am serious and I do understand perfectly well that you need money to make money, you need to invest in people, in business, in infrastructure, and many other things, I have hired the best people for the job to make these things happen, I have Nolan Weasley overseeing my financial empire and training his replacement as we speak.."

"I thought he had retired.."

"He did, but I offered him some great benefits..for life."

I see. What can I do , really?"

"I am not asking for much Mr Minister, just an appointment to see Her Majesty and have her look over some paperwork that she is entitled to see, as she is still acting Monarch over our half of the British Empire."

Brown said nothing, but picked up his phone. "Mr Prime Minister, I have a situation you need to be apprised of"

"Yes, it's important, I have a young man here from the other half who says he needs to see Her Majesty.. yes.. Potter..Lord Potter, He says he can put us into an economic disaster with a word, and he wants to work with us."

"Yessir."

He put down the phone and was just looking up when the Prime Minister of the UK came bustling in and went directly to Ted Tonks , and began speaking and shaking hands.

"Lord Potter, It's a pleasure to meet you.." He was stopped by Ted shaking his head no and pointing to Harry, who stood politely and held out a hand.

"Good afternoon, Mr Prime Minister, I am Lord Harry Potter, but please sir, just call me Harry."

The PM looked shocked and quickly gathered himself, Harry continued.

"Sir This is Ted and Andromeda Tonks of the Solicitors Tonks, Tonks and Graphide. They are not only my legal representatives, they are part of my

family."

The PM greeted and spoke with each.

And this is Sirius Black, my Godfather and Adviser"

"The Sirius Black that we were being warned about?

"The very same" Sirius smirked.

The PM looked warily at Sirius who spoke up

"I was exonerated, we caught the real criminal, he's dead now."

"Ah, I see.."

Harry spoke.

"All I am trying to do, sir is make some legal paperwork move, and I need to see Her Majesty, because she is still acting Monarch over our half of the country, and as such, it is her right and duty".

"I see, what kind of paperwork?"

"My family has held an area of land in trust for 600 years, and I want to turn it over, legally to the people who live there and care for that land, I want to do it in such a way, that the land cannot be taken from them again, in perpetuity, and Her Majesty is the representative of the mundane side of our country, and the de facto ruler over our people."

"Who are these people, they are not foreigners or something?"

"No, they have lived in this land for centuries, and some might consider them alien, but that's only because they are not entirely human"

"They are the Centaurs that live in an area of Northwestern Scotland."

Centaurs?"

"Yes, they have been there since before Roman times, I believe..I would have to look at my family histories, it would be there."

The PM was stunned. "You have family histories that go back to Roman times?"

Harry nodded. "Before actually, To the first settlements along the Thames,

around 500-600 BC, I think." Mr Ollivander's family has been in business since 382 BC, we sold them the property to build his shop"

The PM was speechless, as was Mr Brown.

"Let me make a call."

He used the Chancellor's phone and called several people, higher and higher in the Royal side of the government and finally came into contact with the Private Secretary to the Queen.

"I have a young gentleman here who has need of an audience with Her Majesty, it is quite important, or I would not have called."

"Potter, Lord Harry Potter."

"I see. Right away."

He made another call.

"Nigel bring my car around, I need to take some folks to see The Kings Regent."

He stood.

"If you would follow me please?"

They went out the front door of Number 10 and entered a great black car idling at the curb.

The news people were kept across the street, but they all shouted questions and took pictures.

The car took them from the small street and in short order ended up going through the gates of Buckingham Palace.

The car want to a portal and stopped. The doors were opened by footmen.

The PM got out, followed by the Tonks, Sirius and then Harry.

They were led inside the Palace and were stopped at a security checkpoint..

A powerfully built officer with assorted patches indicating his various battles and campaigns spoke.

"I need you to divest yourselves of all wands, weapons and dangerous objects before you are permitted to see HRH."

Harry nodded and the Tonks handed over their wands, Sirius as well, plus an extra wand and a slim stiletto.

Harry stepped up and offloaded three more wands, two throwing knives out of his boots, a dagger, some portkeys some potions grenades and a set of brass knuckles.

The officer looked surprised at the haul and sarcastically asked "What?, no guns?"

"Not today, I have been practicing, but test for my certification next week"

"Who is teaching you all this?"

He looked sheepish. "I was trained by Mr Quinn"

The officer looked at him with interest. "Would that be WO1 Jeremy Quinn?"

Harry nodded. "Yes sir, both my girlfriend and I have his training, and this is the first day in a month I haven't been up running at 0500 hours."

"Aren't you a bit young for that kind of training?"

"No sir, I have to have it, I have enemies, you know"

"I see. Well then, tell him hello and to write me when you see him next,

I am WO2 Wiggens of the Household Cavalry."

Harry stood at attention and saluted the officer appropriately.

"Yes Sir"

Wiggens broke a smile and saluted back.

"As you were soldier"

"Please follow me."

The officer led them through a series of halls and corridors until they were met at an entrance by two armed guards, and a young woman with a clipboard.

"Your names?"

"Lord Harry James Potter"

"Lord Sirius Orion Black"

"Ted Tonks"

"Andromeda Tonks"

"One moment please"

she disappeared into the room, and came back a few moments later, and led them into the room. There were four chairs in front of a desk, a regal chair behind the desk, and several people standing around in their various positions and jobs.

A man stepped up and greeted each of the visitors, and introduced himself.

"I am Galen Thompson, Private Secretary to Her Majesty, and I will need a basic outline of what you need from her today.

Harry stepped up and described the circumstances of his having title to the lands in question and what he wanted to do, once the official heard this, he had a smile on his face. "I think we can help you Lord Potter, I will have our Royal archivist pull up the appropriate stamps and letters right away. In the meantime, I would have your party enjoy some tea."

He indicated a lovely tea service.

"I will be right back, Her Majesty will be here shortly."

They sat and waited, and enjoyed the ambiance of the rich and beautiful room.

A shuffle of some sort outside the door and in walked the Private Secretary who announced:

"Her Royal Highness, Diana, King's Regent, ."

Harry and his companions stood at attention.

The young woman walked in and was followed by the Secretary who made the introductions.

"Lord Harry James Potter, Son of the late James and Lily Potter of Wales."

Harry bowed to her, "It is an honor to meet you Ma'am."

The King's Regent asked many questions of Harry and his advisors, not the least of which was 'what did they know about the 'accident' which had killed their Monarch King Charles.

Harry had little to say on that matter, because it had happened before he had started at Hogwarts, Ted and Andi were somewhat helpful, putting forth some opinions and thoughts, Sirius had been imprisoned for those years and as such, remained silent, taking it all in.

Diana questioned Harry extensively on his involvement with the fight against the forces of darkness, as well as the Ministry. She had had several

conversations with Dumbledore since first meeting him back in the mid 80's, and deep down she had a suspicion of the man, and wanted an objective opinion. She called in her own advisers, both legal, and political, and asked Harry and his people to come back in a week to discuss some reports that had been made about himself and his people.

Harry made a note to talk to Mr Quinn about that later.

The meeting came to a good end. And the paperwork was signed off on the transfer of land and the protections that would be upheld by the Government and Monarchy of the UK. She also asked for an introduction to the heads of the various peoples that were part of the Magical world.. She had asked the Ministry more than once, but their answers were less than useful, implying that the 'lesser races' were barbarians and would not cooperate.

Luna called Harry by Mirror that evening, and he and Hermione told her about the meeting and The Queen, and the transfer of The Forbidden Forest into the hands of it's rightful owners.

The young people chatted for about an hour before the girls were yawning, and they all signed off.

"Good night Luna"

"Good Night Hermione, Harry"

Xeno spoke late into the night with the portrait of Selene, who smiled the whole time while holding her pet Snorkack.

"This young man has done so much for Luna and I, Love, I cannot think of how to repay him.."

Selene Lovegood inclined her head.

"Xeno, dear, just be a family to him.. that's all he ever wanted, a family. I spent quite a bit of time talking with his backup, and it was the only thing that made him rise up. He is a caring and very strong young man, and you might want to consider a betrothal for Luna, yes I know Harry is with Hermione, but, that doesn't mean he can't love another."

Xeno considered it. "I will talk to him, but I won't do it if they don't both agree."

very well, love, very well."

The next day Xeno arrived at Harry's office to thank him for the Portrait, and to feel the young man out about what he and Selene had talked about.

Harry was answering a question when something caught his eye.

"Xeno, what does that symbol mean, I have seen it somewhere."

Xeno looked down and the symbol of the Deathly Hallows was slipping out from behind his cravat.

"This? It is the symbol of The Deathly Hallows, three very powerful magical objects, Have you ever read the story of The Three Brothers?"

Harry indicated that he had not. Xeno proceeded to tell the story and when finished Harry pondered the matter.

"So you say that the owner of the Hallows will be the Master of Death?"

Xeno nodded.

"So if one had these items, they could command spirits and death itself"

again the older man nodded.

"Wouldn't owning the three Hallows make you a target for every loony and nutcase and dark lord out there?"

"Very likely it would."

"I see. Well then, who knows where they are anyway, no one will ever find them in most probability."

"Not necessarily. I think I have definitively proven that Dumbledore has the Elder Wand. I suspect the stone is part of a family Ring, and the cloak? There are invisibility cloaks around, you just have to find the right one. I would have to look at it to be sure."

"What would you be looking for?

"There is a subtle mark, that looks like my medallion somewhere on each object.. with the ring, it would be engraved somehow, with the cloak, you would have to look at it under special light to tell. The wand, I have seen it with my own eyes, there is the symbol carved on the heel of the wand.

Xeno paused. "Dumbledore admitted to having access to two of the Hallows, the wand and the cloak, but not the ring.. he's up to something."

"Access to?"

"He claimed that the cloak was owned by a member of his order and had willed it to him when the owner was killed. I know this is at best a half truth, because his eyes twinkled when he said it.. he was trying to fool me. I played along so he wouldn't obliviate me."

"You know he obliviates at will, doesn't seem to care much it anyone knows it either"

"Oh yes. He has created the image that he can do no wrong, and yet he does it all the time."

they were silent for a moment.

"so, Twinkles."

"Yes, it is a side effect of the way he learned occlumency, there's always a tell of some sort..Snape has this glare and raised eyebrow thing..

"Yes, I've seen that. So, back to the Hallows.. what can you do with them if you had all three?"

"You could theoretically live forever, but I think that you would go insane from losing everyone you loved children, wives, grandkids, great-great grandkids, all to old age or sickness.. you would outlive them all."

"I see, what else?"

"the owner can go into the afterlife and speak with the dead, and if the body is still fresh enough, bring one back to life for a short time.."

"Not permanently?"

"No one can raise the dead for very long, the last one who did was killed by his own people"

"Really? Who?"

"He was a rabbi in Palestine, Yeshuha Hamascheia"

I see. Well, lets hope no one gets a hold of them, it would be dangerous in the wrong hands."

Xeno agreed.

"Would you be able to summon a soul or fragment of a soul?"

Xeno nodded. "I believe so."

"Thank you for explaining this to me" he gestured at the symbol.

"You have done much for Luna and I , with the portrait and all, Selene suggested a possible betrothal with Luna.."

"I'm too young, and she is as well, not to mention I will marry for love, not a contractual agreement."

"Very well, Harry, I just thought you might want to consider it, I would not agree to it without Luna's permission as well."

"My thoughts exactly..You are certainly welcome for the painting, and thank you again for the information, please come back and visit soon, Xeno."

Harry had stood and offered his hand. Xeno was familiar with the bums rush..he had it many times while investigating a story. He took his leave of Harry and flooed away.

Harry made a mental note not to tell Xeno or anyone about his ownership of two of the three at this point.

The meeting was over between himself and Xeno, and Harry was mildly shocked at the idea of a betrothal with Luna, as he was working out his relationship with Hermione.

He went to his private rooms and after his nightly call to Hermione before she went to sleep, he sat to do his meditation. He pulled out his cloak and looked carefully at the thing, and there in the lining, you could see the circle tee triangle of the Hallows

He then pulled out of a sealed box, the ring he and Bill had retrieved from the shack of The Gaunt family. It had a large padlock through it so no one could stick the thing on their finger, thus blocking the compulsion charms on the item.

Looking it over he could feel something familiar about it, and the closer he moved to where the cloak was on the table the more draw he could feel, until it was almost magnetic..almost.

Evening the next day. The new moon is rising, Venus is in the ascendant.

Harry's mirror vibrated and he answered it, never expecting to see the face on the other end.

"Hello, Chief Magorian, What can I do for you, is there a problem?"

"No Harry Potter, I have called to invite you to share a moment of celebration for my people".

"Oh, really?, when?"

"You should arrive within the hour, before nature takes it's course."

"I will be there shortly, er can I bring..?"

"Bring Sirius Black and your mate, also bring the one you call Luna Lovegood. She intrigues us"

"We will be there within the hour, thank you for inviting us"

"Very well, Harry Potter."

Harry quickly got Hermione's attention as well as Sirius' and he mirrorcalled Luna to quickly meet them. When Luna heard that the Centaurs had invited her, she said

"Interesting, Centaurs Intrigue me"

They arrived near the new Centaur village, which was just outside the rear entrance to The Chamber of Secrets, and the incoming portal.

Harry and Sirius were back to back with the females between them, all in a defensive position. They had not expected any trouble, but were prepared just in case.

Firenze was there to greet them.

"Welcome, Harry Potter and friends. This is a day of celebration and we have invited you because you have made it possible."

Luna spoke up.

"When is she due?"

the others looked at their young friend curiously and Firenze spoke.

"Minutes, for when the stars are aligned correctly , then it shall be done."

Luna looked up at the sky and judged the angle of the moonlight, for it was night. "I think we should hurry"

Firenze turned without another word and led the party into an open area, with a fire roaring nearby, There was a huddle, if it could be called that, of centaurs around a young female. She was obviously ready to birth her child and they were all looking at the sky. Gathered around the circle was all the centaurs of Magorian's tribe, as well as two Goblins who looked vaguely familiar to Harry. One noticed his attention on them and nodded gravely.

Harry nodded in response, staying silent.

They watched as a shooting star went across the sky, and there was a great drawing of breath , and the young female grunted and twisted and a great wet sack of something fell out into the arms of the older females, who cleaned the foal, and made sure it was breathing, and then placed it gently on the floor of the forest, in a bed of clean fronds. The small creature, half horse, half baby, struggled to get it's legs under, and shortly it was standing, and taking some unsteady steps, searching for something.

The young female centaur stepped up and caressed the child, and the child went immediately to his mother, and shortly thereafter was feeding from the offered teat.

The females of the herd gathered around and tended to the female and to the colt, for that's what he was. A male, who was distracted from his meal and capered around, getting a feel for his legs.

Luna whispered to her companions.

"If what I have read and been told is correct, no human has ever been invited to see the birth of a centaur, some have seen it happen, but they were not invited as we apparently were."

Magorian stepped up to the group of humans. "That is correct, Luna Lovegood, no human has been invited, but I thought it wise, because it was your words that made this possible, and you, Harry Potter were the tool that made this happen."

"How so, chief Magorian?"

"We have been fighting a losing battle against the spiders for the last twenty years, and we could not risk our young in a forest inhabited by those demons, so there have been no births in our tribe for the last twenty years, this child, my great grandchild is the first."

"The first of many, Chief Magorian, I have foreseen it".

"you understand the paths of potential fate"

"I am learning how to untangle those webs"

"You must speak to our clans."

"I will, when the time is appropriate."

"Very well, Luna Lovegood. Come I shall introduce you"

he had the humans follow him.

"Hooknose this is Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood Sirius Black and Hermione Granger-Potter"

"They have made it possible for my people to reclaim their lost lands."

Harry gave a formal bow to the Goblins in question.

"Greetings Honored Warrior, I am honored to meet you."

Harry gave a formal bow to the elderly Goblin.

"you suppose I am a warrior, Mr Potter, yet you have not tested me yourself"

"I have read of your battles, albeit in a slanted view in my History text.

I would someday like to hear your side of the battles, and not just the wizard version"

"ah, a student of history, very well, I shall instruct you on the people's way of the truth."

"Sir?"

"You must remember Mr Potter, we may be similar in basic type and possibly even be able to intermarry, your Professor Flitwick a fine example, but we of the Goblin race are not human, and do not necessarily act 'human' If you like, think of us as Klingon or Narn race, Our plans are our own."

"I see, So, Master Hooknose, is there a book or text or teacher that I can speak with that could teach me the proper way to deal with the Goblin race, so as to not insult or be rude to them?"

"I believe so, Ask your Professor for a book,

Essential Etiquette" The elderly Goblin spoke the last two words in Gobbeldygook, and Harry mentally memorized the name,then spoke it aloud, to confirm it.

"Very good, Mr Potter. Read that book and then come and see me, check with Ragnok, he is my assistant." The old creature gestured to the goblin waiting patiently for instruction.

Hermione gasped in realization when she figured out who was talking, and who was being talked about.

"Yes, Miss Granger-Potter, say what you have just realized."

"I..er..Most of the wizarding world thinks that your assistant Ragnok is the leader of the Goblin race, they call him The Director.. "

"And?"

"It would appear that this is not entirely true"

"You may be right Miss Granger-Potter, I occupy a position that one of your race does, a Mr Nicholas Flamel.. let us just call me an elder adviser..Our Ragnok is just as powerful and important as you think he is, in fact more so, because he is directly in a position to destroy your economy, whereas I am merely ..an adviser."

"I see, so if there were to be an armed uprising or an attack on the Goblin peoples, then Ragnok here would be the likely target."

"But of course, he is after all the champion warrior of our clans, he earned the job through blood and battle."

"I see. So, if I were to invite you to my home for a dinner, would you be inclined to come?"

"Invite me and find out Mr Potter"

"I shall. It occurs to me that I have never seen a female of your race, is this forbidden or off limits, sir?"

"we are a very protective people, and yet, our fiercest warriors are often female, a mystery I think."

"If you are available August first, I would like to invite yourself and your advisers to my family Keep for a day of dining and conversation. I will put this in writing on the morrow, Elder Goblin."

Ragnok began to make a protestation, but Harry cut him off.

"I will allow your security personnel to see every step of the way into my Keep and allow your personal guards in as well, if this is acceptable"

"It is acceptable Lord Potter, thank you." Ragnok bowed slightly to the young man.

The elder Goblin turned to the events being played out by the fire.

"It is well Chief Magorian that your people have enough confidence to start the regrowth of your people, the child looks healthy and I am assured he will be well cared for"

"That is truth Elder Goblin, and we have plans for more to be sired as well. Our forest and lands have been made safer by the actions of this young wizard."

"I had the means and the help to do it, and if I have read correctly, it will help the magical environment, which helps all magical peoples."

"So what did you do with all the spiders?" The elder Goblin spoke.

Harry knew the older creature probably knew exactly what he did, but went ahead anyway.

"I have arranged for an island, surrounded by water, and transported all the spiders there, I supply them with food and a home, and they supply me with acromantula silk and venom, they are safe from us, and we are safe from them."

"A true businessman. Profit from your enemies, and help your friends, I assume that you also own the other end of the process as well.?"

"why yes, I have a facility which is cleaning and weaving the silk into cloth, and turning it into needed garments and essentials". He indicated the robes and clothes he and his companions wore. The outer robe that they wore was not only stylish and fashionable, but it repelled most of the lower level hexes and curses, as well as keeping the occupant warm or cool and dry as needed.

"I would gladly supply your people with as much of this material as you needed at a reasonable price, Elder, just have your people contact my people."

The Elder Goblin roared with laughter. "Ah, a good businessman, I like it. He sees profit in any situation. Well done, young Harry, well done.!"

Magorian watched impassively as the goblins spoke between themselves.

"Shall we proceed?, the tides and stars wait for no one."

Humans and Goblin alike nodded and followed the old Centaur to a trio of Dwarves standing under an outcropping of rock, where they felt the most comfortable.

The youngest of the three stepped forward and faced the group.

"I am Knokmolle of Norsk, My leaders are behind me, King Drusk and his son Prince Javen"

Magorian responded.

Welcome King Drusk, Prince Javen, Knokmolle of Norsk. You honor us with your presence.

May I present Elder Goblin Hooknose, Director Ragnok of Gringotts"

The Dwarves greeted the goblins with a proper salute.

Magorian continued.

"This is Wizard Lord Harry Potter, His consorts Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood and his adviser Sirius Black"

Harry was stunned by the announcement of his relationship with the young women, but kept it contained as Hermione elbowed him.

He bowed to the Dwarven King and Prince.

"I greet thee, O King, and am very pleased to meet your Highness."

The Dwarf King, stepped up and took Harry's hand and shook it like a friend he hadn't seen in a while. "Hello young Harry, I am glad to see you well, I haven't met you yet, but I knew your grandfather Charlus, we had some business dealings."

Harry immediately liked this guy, even though he was short, wide, immensely strong, and quite hairy.

Prince Javen stepped up. "I never met your Grandfather, but I did meet your father once, I believe he was just out of school at the time."

"Really?, I would love to speak with both of you soon, in fact, if I may, will you come to dinner at my Keep next week?"

Knokmolle looked through a book he pulled out of somewhere.

"We can meet on Tuesday next, if it serves?"

"That would be the first, so will that be all right with you Elder Hooknose?"

Ragnok nodded once.

"Magorian, would you and your advisors come to my Home as well?"

"I do not want to leave my herd unprotected here, it is safe, but, I need to be sure."

"I can provide 100 armed and trained Wolfpack warriors to watch your perimeter for the day"

Magorian pondered and looked at the sky. Luna spoke up.

"The new Moon will be ascending that day, as well as Venus, the times are quite favorable"

Magorian nodded. It shall be done. How do we get there?"

Harry quickly conferred with Hermione.

"We can provide transport, safely and securely. It will be available on that day right over there"

Harry pointed at an outcropping of rock as he vanished the false image hiding the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

The dwarfish King's eye's brightened. "I recognize this, My people built this tunnel for Salazar, he needed a tunnel for his pet to get out to eat.. er, his pet is not still there is it?" The old dwarf looked slightly worried.

"No, Your Highness, it is unfortunately dead, I had to kill it three years ago. "I hired the Goblins here to help me render it, I still have the skull though"

"Quite a large skull as I recall." Ragnok spoke up.

"You saw it?"

"In a memory, my people keep me informed."

"As it should be, Director, as it should be."

"Our final guests have not arrived..yet."

Magorian spoke to Harry. "Can you contact your friend Dobby"

"Sure, why?"

"He is late, and We are worried."

Harry pulled out his mirror and called Dobby.

Dobby answered.

"Hello Dobby, Magorian just asked me if you were all right, are you?

"Yes, Harry we'll be there in one minute."

the mirror went blank, and Harry looked confused.

Dobby and Winky appeared, dressed in what looked like the perfect clothes for them, the clothes that made them look like the elven royalty they were.

"Our final guests, Dobby and his sister Winky, the first of the restored Elves."

Dobby bowed to the gathered leaders, Winky curtsied as well.

"Thank you for waiting for us on this day of celebration, and thank you for sharing it with our people, it is an honor."

Dobby bowed again.

"We bring a gift for the newborn child and mother. "

"It is made from the silk that my friend Harry has made available for us."

Dobby and Winky brought out a pair of what could only be described as silken horse blankets, tailored to fit the entire bodies of the mother and foal.

"They will stay clean and soft, and warm for as long as you need them, and they can be passed on to other children as well."

Winky shyly described the articles.

Magorian took the package and bowed to the elves. "Thank you for the kind gift, it does get cold in the winter here."

Harry turned to Luna who was tapping on his arm to get his attention.

"now would be a good time."

It is the perfect time Luna, I was just waiting for the opportunity"

"Good, I am going to meditate on this, so I am going to be over there/"

The blond girl went over to the edge of the clearing and was dancing about quietly, feeling the air and the currents of magic and time..

"Look at Luna, Sirius"

Luna was leaning back against a tree her eyes were off into some distant place, and a smile graced her lips.

Inside her mind there was a massive untangling of possibilities and a whole new path, a large number of positive and profitable possibilities were opening up.

Sirius watched the foal capering around his mother's knees.

"By the way, I heard Magorian introduce both of these young women as your consorts..anything to tell me?"

"Not at this time."

To distract Sirius, Harry called Delynn, the elf that worked for the Tonks legal office.

"Could you bring the package for us now?"

"Very Well Mr Potter one minute"

Harry kept a straight face. He was however in contact mentally with Hermione, and they were discussing just that situation.

"_Harry, you haven't made any moves toward taking Luna as a consort have you?, I think I would know, I'm with you all the time!"_

"_No love, I have not, but then, Magorian is the chief of the greatest diviners there are, they see something there between us, but who knows how many years off it is, or the circumstances?"_

"_Do not fear my Hermione, I am not leaving you for another, you are my first and as far as I am concerned, my only."_

"_I do love you, Harry, I don't want to lose you to another, You know how I get.." "I know love, but forget that, I think you are beautiful and that's all that matters to me, I love your heart and your mind and your cute little dimple, and your bushy amazing hair.."_

"_..." "Smile" "not here, Harry!"_

He grinned and looked in her direction. She blushed and glared at him.

She thought no one noticed but Luna came up beside Hermione and put her arms around the older girl, and held her tightly. Hermione looked a bit shocked and slowly put her arms around the young Ravenclaw, holding her, and protecting her against whatever fears were worrying the girl.

Luna whispered in Hermione's ear, and the older girl relaxed a bit.

"I need to go with you, I need to speak with your mother, please?"

Hermione, being the caring young woman she was immediately put her heart out to her friend, and embraced her.

Harry and Sirius were talking to the gathered leaders.

"I do have a question though, for Chief Magorian.."

"What is it Harry Potter?"

"You have invited the leaders of the Goblins, the Dwarves, the Elves, why Me and Hermione, shouldn't you have invited the Minister of Magic or Dumbledore?

"No, Harry Potter, they are mere figureheads, you are the one with the true interests of your people at heart, you are the one who will make the difference between survival for all our races and the death of us all."

"Your Minister Fudge, and his likely successors have only power in mind, and retaining that power, they will do anything they can to keep control. The greatest of that type is Dumbledore, he will do anything at all in order to have his way, and does not care how he gets it.. it is our belief that Albus Dumbledore is a greater threat to our world that the pretender Voldemort will ever be."

This statement shocked the Humans, but the non-humans were ambivalent about the description.

"Elder Hooknose, Director Ragnok, does your opinion agree with Chief Magorian?"

"Indeed it does, Young Harry, and I believe we of the Clan Gringotts can prove just how corrupt those people are."

"would you consider sharing that evidence ?"

"Not at this time. We have our standards, and breaking laws placed upon us by your people would bring problems, the people in power are the ones who make those laws, and those are the people to prosecute. If by chance you can break their power we can provide a chain of evidence to convict them of their crimes."

"I see... I will think on this."

he recalled a passage from a book on dealing with Goblins:

_The goblins despise bribery. they see it as unworthy and dishonorable…the work of poisoners, betrayers and cowards, and having someone use our bank to conduct such perfidy tarnished their reputations, both as a collective and individually."_

_(adapted from Jedi Potter by Alorkin)_

Hooknose and Ragnok took their leave and vanished with a goblin portkey, and Harry stood looking at the spot they had been, thinking.

Delynn popped into the clearing, behind Harry, and waited for his signal to approach.

"Chief Magorian, I have a gift for your people."

He gestured and Delynn approached with a scroll.

"Thank you Delynn" The elf bowed and stepped back to stand between Dobby and Winky.

Harry opened the scroll.

"This is the title deed to the area of land known as 'The Forbidden Forest' This land was acquired by one of my ancestors in order to protect it from one who wanted to destroy it some 600 years ago..it seems those who do not understand things either want to destroy or control..sad, really."

"The deed gives free title to this area of land, some fifty square miles, as designated on the map. This title deed is to be held in perpetuity, and now that the Centaurs are free to rebuild their clans, then they should own the lands that are rightfully theirs."

"Chief Magorian, as temporary holder of this title deed, I turn over all rights and ownership to your care."

"If you look carefully, I have also had my solicitor create a board to protect you from outside control by either magical or mundane peoples.

This deed is signed by myself, as representative for the magical people of the United Kingdom and by Her Majesty, the Kings Regent, for the mundane Peoples."

Harry bowed and handed the scroll to the Centaur Chief.

Later:

"That was quite a move, pup, giving away all that land.. quite an expensive move."

"You have a problem with it Sirius?.. it wasn't my land in the first place, it was 'held in trust' since 1300, you saw that as well as I did.. I had a responsibility to turn it over..trust me Siri, it will pay off in a big way."

The older man hrumphed, this was one of the lessons that he had learned from the Black family, actually one of the only lessons he had learned.. once you have land, don't give it up, for anything.

"Still, I guess I can't say. It's a Potter thing, your old man was the same way, I guess that if he had lived, he probably would have done the same thing..still, it was pretty impressive how you talked your way into seeing The Queen and the PM..what did it take start to finish three hours?"

Harry blushed at this. "Well, threatening to push the nation into economic freefall would tend to get some peoples attention."

_The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it. – Paul-Muad'Dib Atreides_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

standard disclaimer.

All JKR's characters belong to her and her corporate lackeys.

It was kind of her to let us, the fanfic community use and abuse them.

The plot and ideas are mine, the characters you recognize are not.

The next couple days were busy for Harry and his friends and Employees alike, so much so that he forgot it was his birthday.

The invitations had gone out to the leaders of the magical races, the Vampire clans had declined, initially, because they could not go out in the daytime. Harry made a promise to have a night dinner sometime soon to accommodate them, and the leaders of the clans agreed to that.

While he was on the line with those creatures, he asked that they consider not working with Voldemort or his people, because that if they did He, Harry would have to consider them combatants and exterminate them, and on the whole, he would rather not do that, inasmuch as most of the clans had worked out their own ways to feed safely and keep the peace.

The three main clan heads had agreed to that, stating that most of the nightwalkers associated with Voldemort were free agents, those who kept to themselves or were cast from the clans.

Harry had just hung up from that conversation when Sirius dragged him from his lair. The young man had taken to staying in his shop/lab/reading room/hideout full time, well except for when he was spending time with Hermione or doing his workout and training with Quinn and the Weres.

His birthday was quiet, Sirius and Mooney had given him a collection of memories of times with his parents, Hermione had made him a new bottomless bag, that took up little room and would hold a great many things in individual compartments. It was subtle and stylish and would serve him for years to come.

Mooney came up with a project he had worked on with a few other people, re-creating the marauders map, only this one was covering Diagon Alley, another covering Hogsmeade, and he had promised one of each of the major magical areas in the UK.

This was good news to the young couple, as well as Sirius and Quinn. Harry had been taking classes in the art of War and related things like politics and business. All these things were related and lessons learned on one specialty could be used in another.

His eyes were opened to a great many things in his classes with Mr Dubois.

The morning of the day of the big dinner, Harry was tinkering in the arrival portal he had first entered the month before. In the place of the flying carpet rack was what looked like a giant birdcage.

Sirius came in and wondered out loud what it was.

"Looks like you want to cage a hippogryff or maybe a small dragon, pup. What is it?"

Harry mumbled as he was adjusting what looked like a spinning disk.

He closed the access port and locked it and then gathered up a trunk full of tools and a bird sized birdcage.

"Come with me Sirius, I will need your help"

"Where are we going?"

"We are setting up a transport booth at the Centaurs village, hang on "

"Riot Club"

The portkey activated and the two men swirled away.

They landed within the perimeter of the entrance to The Chamber of Secrets, just outside the door, in fact.

"Riot Club?, what's that?"

"Activation phrase for the portkey. Not something anyone would say in a normal conversation"

Harry was unshrinking his trunk and the tools within.

"I understand that, but the phrase..?"

"I got the idea for this from reading a fiction book." he spoke as he worked.

"The story was about a journalist who was investigating something called

'the Permanent Floating Riot Club' where a bunch of pickpockets and

looters would jump all over the world to wherever a crowd was and

rob people for profit."

"How did they get around? Portkeys?"

"No, no magic, technology. Something like a phone booth but you go in and dial the number and it transports you to your destination"

Sirius was familiar with the concept of a phone booth, but he transport part..

"And this is?"he indicated the project that Harry was building.

He had excavated a hole about three meters across, a cylindrical hole with shiny sides.

"you are getting pretty good with that stone carving spell, pup."

"yeah, thanks.. hand me that tube looking bit, will ya?"

Sirius handed it over and Harry levitated it into the center of the pit and unshrinking it in place, turning the thing so the lines inscribed on it lined up with the sunrise and sunset on the summer equinox.

"I have to get this part right, or vibrational frequencies will cause problems with the EPS conduits"

The two men looked at each other and laughed, because Harry was speaking techno babble learned from watching reruns of Next Generation.

Sirius picked up on the joke and answered. "At least it's not the flux capacitor"

They laughed and had attracted a small crowd of centaurs and members of the Wolfpack.

The new foal/centaur wobbled in under the watchful eye of his minders.

Sirius and Harry quickly put up a soft barrier to protect the child, he then knelt down and greeted the youngster.

"Hello, what's your name?"

The child pawed his face, fascinated by the glasses that Harry wore.

"ope ope ope."

He managed to take the glasses from Harry and try to put them on his own face.

Harry looked up to the gathered females who were 'caring' for the child.

"His name is Canhope, after his sire's father." the mother of the child told them.

"Hello Canhope, I am pleased to meet you, I am Harry"

the group laughed as the child finally managed to get the glasses on his face with a little help.

The child stood still looking at the various things around him.. the runes on Harry's glasses had been activated and the child could see many of the magical things and beings around him. He looked very closely at Harry and waved his hands.

"shiny"

Sirius and Harry looked to the other with raised eyebrows. This distracted the child enough to notice Sirius.

"Doggy"

Sirius shrugged and assumed his Padfoot persona to the giggles of the child.

The mother gently slipped the glasses off the child's face and handed them back to Harry, who grinned at the antics. In an instant the child was distracted and went cantering off in some other direction, followed by his entourage.

Both Harry and Sirius stood, watching the scene with identical grins.

Magorian came into the cave opening and spoke.

"He is our hope for the future."

Harry looked determined , and yet hopeful.

"Well then, let's make this forest as secure as we can for the future of both our peoples."

He turned to the Chief. "How are the Wolfpack teams working with your people?"

"They seem to be gaining a bit of trust between them, I believe that your people may be the only humans I trust."

"Well, I hope that we never have reason to lose that trust, Chief Magorian."

"Let me tell you of an incident that happened two nights ago."The Chief began to tell the tale.

He had given the assignment to Mooney, and the squads were selected to guard the Centaur village as well as those working security for the other heads of state.

The dinner was scheduled for four days before the full moon, and the Wolfpack was at peak performance, sharp and on their best behavior, wanting to do a good job for their rescuer and employer. They had begun their familiarization a week before.

The squad leaders were introduced to the village leaders and people and told what to expect as well as how they were to treat their clients, and some respect was planted.

The Centaur warriors had their own patrol patterns worked out, and the Wolfpack were running effortlessly alongside their equine clients. A situation had occurred when a LRRP (long range reconnaissance patrol) was ahead and sent a signal to an approaching Centaur/Wolfpack group of 3 Centaurs and 3 Weres.

The situation was the incursion of several Death Eaters looking for potions ingredients in the form of an injured unicorn.

The LRRP was stealthy enough to get within ten yards of the prey, and warned his approaching colleagues. They worked around the group of dark wizards and captured them quickly, in fact, they were captured before they realized it.

The six in the combined squad watched as the last of the captured DEs was portkeyed away, and then they attended to the Unicorn.

The Unicorn had been attacked with a variety of cutting and bludgeoning curses, and was knocked to the floor of the forest. One of the Weres was from the medical detail and asked if the Unicorn would allow her to use magic to perform a healing spell. The Unicorn, though mute looked at the Were-medic and then nodded. They watched as the medic performed gently and quickly using a variety of human, Were, and magical healing on the creature. Shortly the Unicorn got to his feet and cantered around in a circle, kicking his hind legs as if stretching. The Were-medic stepped forward and held up her arms , saying "take it easy for a few days, you were badly hurt, don't strain yourself.."

"We'll be around for a few days, so if you need any more, let us know."

The Unicorn tossed his head, and then looked the medic in the eyes, then looked deliberately at his spilled blood on the tree roots.

"What?, you want me to take your blood?, are you sure?"

The horned equine nodded and the medic shrugged and followed her instructions. She siphoned up all the silvery blood and put it into an unbreakable container. She offered it to the creature and he shook his head no, bowed to the centaurs and trotted away.

The lead Centaur looked down on the Were-medic and snorted. "It appears you have been gifted with some Unicorn blood. Use it well" He then led off on the next leg of the patrol..

She shook her head and stuffed the container into her pack and trotted to keep up, leaping tree roots and bushes like some kind of humanoid jackrabbit.

"So by that action on the part of one of your people, you have gained a small level of trust with my warriors."

"Well, one of the things we have been emphasizing in training is to treat the innocent the way we would want to be treated, with respect...Unfortunately the Weres that we have taken into our group, have been terribly mistreated by their own people, wizards, I mean..A lot of issues to work through."

"It will take time Harry Potter, but it will be worth the effort."

"Well, it cannot hurt."

Harry and Sirius finished installing the transport cage, and sent their test package through it about a hundred times, to the five different cages that Harry had now set up. The package had live subjects, magical sensors, physical sensors, monitoring temperature, acceleration, gravity flux, light and other frequencies.

Satisfied, he explained the operation to Magorian and his aides, and then demonstrated it, jumping to the hidden room at the top of Gryffindor tower, the room that Harry had used as his lab in fourth year. Magorian was impressed, never having been inside a building, and looking out over the grounds and forest.

They sent him back to the forest, and the two jumped back to The Keep, where preparations for the dinner were going on.

One of the other of the five transport cages, was set up in a secure room given to him by the Goblins. The Goblins were ready for the future, and had in their secure entry hall, secure access floo, a portkey arrival platform, where only their portkeys would work, and now this transport cage. If what Lord Potter had said was correct, this would change the world, both magical and muggle, and the Goblins wanted in on it, as they were businessmen and warriors first.

Win, whether by blood or money, but win.

Harry had been reading several books a night. Because you have to play a bit, he had taken to reading through the classics of SF, Fantasy, History, Geography, Crime fiction, Literature.

The organizing of his mind allowed him to collect many things at once, and recall them with perfect clarity.

He spent an hour or more a night meditating, bringing his thoughts together, talking to Shala, who was currently teaching Hermione telepathy.

Shala claimed that Dragons had come to the planet Earth some 200,000 years before and were refugees from their own fleet of planets. They had landed in an area that would now be South Africa and spread across the world, seeking shelter and food. Shala claimed that she and her ancestors had taken the local creatures 'under wing' so to speak, and moved them along the path of intelligence and civilization.. in other words had created the human race.

She claimed that the dragons had brought magic into this world, and tied it to certain strains of human and creature. Whether this was true or not, Harry did not know, but he listened as Shala told stories of strange treks across the world, of long extinct beasts, of many unbelievable things. Shala gently reminded him that he himself did not know of magic only five years before.. so what to believe then?

One night, Harry and Hermione were meditating together (no really) and they asked Shala how she could be old enough to remember the crossing between worlds.

"I was hatched on my home planet, and grew to an age of setting (able to lay fertile eggs) and lived my life learning our history and ways. When I became of age, about 500 years by your methods, I was ready to move on. I laid a golden egg and passed my self into that egg. I lived in my body long enough to transfer my knowledge and personality to that child. If I had not, that hatchling would be an ordinary dragon with a single life span, basically cattle. "

Harry was getting an image of this process.

"I grew to an age where I could protect myself and then I transferred my entire being into the younger me. My aging body died and I moved on.

I have repeated this process hundreds of times, all the time being certain that my basic self and knowledge does not get lost.. In every case I have had another to watch out and protect my younger self during the transfer..

Young Hairy..Harry, I would ask you to be that one for me.. I am over seven hundred of your years old, and I am tired.. I have no one to protect my young while I am growing, would you be the one for me this time?"

Harry was stunned.

Hermione was stunned as well.

Harry spoke first.

"This is why you gifted me with telepathy, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is.. you may be small, by comparison, but you have a dragon's heart."

"If you do this for me I will gift your entire line with the telepathy, as you call it."

"I have already begun with your mate."

The young couple looked at each other, eyes wide.

"Um we' re not mates yet. er..well.."

"You are, in your heart of hearts, even though you are young, you are. Neither of you can live without the other, and you know this to be true."

"Well, what can I say, an ancient and wise being from another world, half a galaxy away asks me to be her godfather, how can I refuse. Shala, yes, we have a deal. House Potter will always be by your side."

Mentally, the great dragon bowed.

"Thank you young Harry Thank you.

"I will be making preparations to lay the golden egg in the coming months, for it is a hard process.

Nevertheless if you need anything, you may call on me."

Hermione's thought processes were racing along.

"Shala, do you need anything to help, nutritional supplements, special food, anything?"

"yes, actually, I do.. I will need about a half a ton of gold"

"Gold?"

"yes, it is part of the shell and the blood.. the growing hatchling will eat it as well."

"Well that explains some of our legends, I guess.

"How so?"

"the legend is that dragons live in caves and have a fortune in gold and jewels that treasure seekers search for, and then there is the whole dragonslayer thing to consider.. you won't be wanting any virgin sacrifices, will you?"

Shala laughed at this.

"No, I don't require any virgins, not today.."

the great creature was giggling at the thought.

"Although you two might consider visiting my island home before it's too late."

The couple blushed at the inference.

Harry tried to deflect the conversation.

"So, where's your ship?"

"Well," the great beast sighed.

"The impact crater is still there, it was only a lifeboat of sorts, we had to abandon our ship, and it hit the Moon.. look at the Moon sometime. It used to have seas and air and be a beautiful place to live. Our ship hit it and blasted the entire planet , look at the craters there some night. The debris from the impact then fell on it like rain for ten thousand years, leaving it uninhabitable.

For those ten thousand years though, there was a beautiful ring around the Earth, but the gravity of the Moon's influence cleared out all the debris, so now it is safe to go there.. relatively."

"The last major piece to hit the moon was in your family history, I think.

I saw it one night in June of 1178. We suspect the drive section blew up."

"So your ship hit the Earth?"

"yes, it hit on the point of the continent.. South Africa it is called now.

"Not the _Vredefort dome_ ? That was almost three billion years ago.." Hermione interjected.

"No the local people call it Tswaing Crater, it means 'place of salt'

"Place of Salt. How do you know so much about everything? It seems as if you are a font of human information"

"I sleep a lot and my mind travels. I will teach you someday."

"I see. Sounds like a useful skill."

"It can be. I am quite old you know.."

"So you effectively created the human race?"

"Not the whole thing, just the magical people.. The peoples of this planet were on the track toward sentience and civilization, we helped some of them along.

Within a thousand years of our arrival, we had human kingdoms and cities in various places."

"Really? Where?"

"Well, now the evidence is gone, swallowed up by the Earth, at the bottom of the ocean, in the case of Atlantis, various places."

"I want to know everything.. recorded and placed in a library for researchers and historians"

Hermione's desire for knowledge was putting itself forward.

"You and your children and your children's children shall have it. You do need to create a way to store it where it won't be lost."

"I have an idea on that one." Harry spoke up.

Hermione looked at him curiously.

"Data Crystals. Store the information on grown silicon crystals."

the dragon pondered the thought.

"It should work. You might want to try..' '

Shala spoke an untranslatable word, but the concept of the word was planted in his mind.

Harry wrote out pages of notes in his ever expanding notebook.

The dinner was upon them.

Dobby and Winky had taken over the menu and setup, as they were a people who knew what people wanted and needed. In truth, the Elves would be the perfect hosteler, seeing to the needs of travelers. What was needed in the way of rooms, sleeping arrangements, food, facilities, entertainment.. the elves knew it all. It was in their nature to be the perfect host.

The Keep was set up for the five major races, as the Vampires had declined the current offer.

Centaurs, Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Humans.

Other races of beings were discussed, and Shala said she would put in a word or two, but she intended to stay in her nest for the moment.

The other sentients were currently not on the list, because they had not contacted them yet, but in time would do so.

Hermione wanted to put the Mermen on the list first, as she was fascinated by them, Sirius suspected that Hermione's animagus form would be something in the aquatic line, since her patronus was an otter, and he had seen her swim while in training.. the girl could compete in the Olympics if she hadn't been enhancing her muscles with magic, ( a thing that Harry had taught her).

There had been a few times the couple had gotten some Gillyweed and taken an afternoon for themselves on the beach..of a Caribbean island.

The Dwarves arrived first, and were stunned at the stonework and caverns carved into the island mountain that was The Keep.

There were five of the Dwarf clan. Knokmolle, the assistant/diplomat/negotiator.

King Drusk and his Queen, Beyank His son Prince Javan and the Princess, Kellan.

Harry and Hermione greeted the group with open arms and introductions, as well as pointing out

the various people who were waiting for them.

Bill and Fleur were there, along with Fleur's parents, Jean and Aimee Delacouer. Luna and her father Xeno Lovegood, Jake and Miranda Granger as well.

The Dwarves met all the people and stood to the right of the line as the transport cage cycled and the image of five goblins appeared.

They solidified and stepped forth.

"Welcome, Elder Goblin Hooknose, Director Ragnok"

The eldest Goblin inclined his head in greeting, as did Ragnok.

Behind the two male goblins were two females, at least that is what Harry assumed.

The females were sleek and somewhat lizard-like, and appeared on the surface to be quite deadly, with or without weapons.

Their hands ended in sharp claws, their eyes were protected by a brow, the muscle underlying the skin was tight and firm. Even with his Wolfpack training, Harry didn't think that he would want to go up against one of these one on one.

Hooknose spoke.

"Lord Potter, may I introduce Slashyk, and her sister Sharpik, they are five generations my daughters." Harry mentally spoke "That's an odd description, what do you think it means?"

Hermione answered. "His mate was their forebear, five generations ago.. think granddaughters."

"Welcome to Potter's Keep. There is food and drink, and after I will show you our training facility"

Harry had read Essential Etiquette" that he had gotten from Professor Flitwick. He had given everyone there a basic outline of the important parts of dealing with Goblins, and sighed in relief that he had covered the parts about dealing with the females of that species.

He did not speak directly to the females, but rather to the eldest of the group, thus, all comments were spoken through Hooknose.

The time would come when he would be able to speak directly with a female, but he would have to face the female in question on the battlefield, or training room floor.

He spoke to the two elder males. "I would look forward to meeting you on the sparring ring."

inwardly, he thought "and hope I survive."

Hooknose bowed regally and answered. "It shall be an honor to face you."

Harry's eyes flicked to the two female warriors, and the glint in their eyes.

In the book Essential Etiquette, Harry learned that the Males of the goblin race were the more calm and relaxed of the genders, and were able to use this skill to their advantage, working their warfare in other forms than the battlefield, although their feats on the field were sung about in history and tale. The females were primarily personal and physical, and few wanted to cross them. It was a bit of a dichotomy that the females bore the children and fought the battles, but the males were the caregivers and the businessmen, so to speak.

The goblins stepped into the area set aside for them, an area designed to make that race feel at home. There was what looked like an opening into a great cavern, with stone and dripping water and a fire with raw meat on the pike, being seared.. he fact that the meat was still alive was not too disturbing, as the view was blocked by visual wards.

The Dwarves area was much the same, low ceiling, raw stone, much like a cave r tunnel, but homey. Their food area was a great pot with meat and vegetable and roots all cooking and looking tasty.

The Centaurs were next through the transport cage.

Magorian, Firenze, Tchallyk and Laurel, females, and the new foal, Canhope, who looked as if he had grown since the afternoon.

Magorian looked on with pride as the youngster fidgeted around, looking at everything, After introductions, the centaurs were drawn to an area which appealed to their sensibilities. The walls looked like forest trees, looking out over a grassy plain. The natural tendency was to gallop toward such a vista. Canhope wove between the few freestanding trees that marked the edge of the area..

Dobby and Winky looked on in pride, their staff had created a perfect environment to make the users comfortable, and yet open enough to allow free conversation and mingling.

The Human area looked like a lounge, with chairs and tables, a buffet of various food and drink.

The last arrival was human. The cage shimmered and there appeared a group of people. Diana, the King's Regent, William, the child King, WO2 Wiggens, and Galen Thompson, Secretary to the Crown.

Wiggens watched all the goings on, mentally recording everything to be taken back to MI-5 who was his primary employer. On the face of it, he was WO2 Wiggens of the Household Cavalry, but the truth was, he, as well as Quinn worked more directly for the Crown that most realized.

The female goblins stayed pretty much in the area they were comfortable in, The Centaurs as well. The Dwarves went everywhere, talking to everyone, as they were quite the friendly lot.

Harry grew to like the Dwarves, their females were much like the males, only without the excess hairiness. Hermione stayed close to Harry's side wherever he went, even into the Goblin area. She showed no revulsion at the cooking and eating methods shown there and said nothing, but recorded everything for later review. She asked the females if there was a time she could speak with them alone, and was told that it could not happen until her champion (Harry) had met them on the battlefield. Actually a lot more politely that Hermione expected.

The Humans were quite taken with the Widow Queen, who's official title was King's Regent. Diana was mother to the King, Edward William, who had just turned 13, and was beginning the public parts of his training, and this outing was his first with non-humans.

He kept a straight face when introduced to the leaders of the different races, and acted according to the proper traditions. The Secretary had briefed the Royals on the proper greetings for the different races, and the young monarch did his part well.

When the time came and the various peoples were eating and milling about, the young King spoke with Harry and Hermione.

"You pull this off better than I would, I think, Lord Harry."

"I don't know about that, Your Majesty, I may have a bit of an advantage with the gifts I have, and my relationship with various non humans, but we are much alike.. born into our destiny, and potentially trapped and controlled, we have to make our own way."

"What other kinds of non-humans do you know?"

"Well, there are the giants, The keeper of the grounds at Hogwarts is half giant, as is the Headmistress of Beauxbatons, I have spoken with the heads of the vampire clans here in the UK, I have spoken with one tribe of Merpeople, I assume there are more around somewhere."

I have an island over that way" he waved toward the south. "That has a tribe ..or clan.. something, of acromatulas living there, spiders. Really really big spiders.."

Edwards eyes lit up at this. "How big?"

"Well, the king of their group, Aragog is 8 meters across.. you don't want to meet him ..anywhere if you can avoid it"

The young King to be shuddered at the thought.

"I would like to see them at some point, from a safe distance of course."

Well, we can go there, virtually, at least, follow me"

He led the group over to one wall of the great hall, and stood in front of the 'window'

In truth, they were deep inside The Keep, and the closest to any view would be probably thirty yards of hard basalt. The 'Windows' were an enchantment that was much like the ceiling of the Great Hall at Hogwarts, as some Potter in the past had invented that charm. Today it showed the sea and sky, the wispy clouds and the rays of the sinking sun,.

"Good, there's enough light to see"

"Folks you may want to sit down for this."

Most did, a few hardy souls did not. Harry took control of the wall's charms and they were suddenly

'flying' out over the ocean and toward the second island in the chain. They swooped low over the waves and inland, over the grassy shore and up the rise into the forest, where spiders could be seen busily weaving webs, carrying livestock, binding mummified creatures, hanging about being spiders.

He viewpoint slowed and came o a crawl, and he could hear gasps as the image came into a huge nest, over run with webbing, and surrounded by spiders that took no notice of the voyeurs.

They came to a halt, resting their vision on one huge huge spider, Aragog.

"Aragog was the pet of a student at Hogwarts some fifty years ago, and because he was known to have 'a monster', that student was blamed for the death of Myrtle Madison, commonly referred to as 'moaning Myrtle'. In fact this creature was not the culprit that killed Myrtle, but rather a thousand year old basilisk, which you can see he skull in my collection."

"Aragog has gained more intelligence as he gets older, as do all the spiders."

"I would like to see this school of yours at some point"

"I could show you today, but I would need to verify the security, make sure there is no risk.."

"What kind of risks would you have at a school?"

"The Headmaster.. he is trying to control my life, and his plans to use me as a weapon against his other creation, the current dark lord, Voldemort."

"Doesn't sound too cool actually."

"It's not, he will erase memories at any time, use illegal means to influence people, and generally abuse his power and titles"

"Well, is there anything I can do as Muggle King of this nation"

"For now, let it be, we have plans in the works to strip him of several of his titles and all of his power..but thank you for the offer."

Diana was listening in on the conversation.

"Our advisers seem to think you can't do it all yourself, Lord Potter, will you need our help, it is freely offered."

"I suppose it will be necessary to call upon your Highness, eventually, there will be need to set up the new government when we take this one down.."

He turned to his girlfriend. "What do you think, Hermione?"

The bushy haired girl curtsied to the King and the King's Regent, as she was a proper British Girl.

"We are in the process of deciding which would be the most logical form of government that our people can handle." There is no real law to speak of, those who have the gold rule, that is buy their way out of trouble, gloss over crimes and criminal activity at will. Our current form of government is corrupt and uncontrolled, he Wizengamot has turned into a hereditary old boy's club, the Minister himself is taking bribes from known Death Eaters, that is, followers of the current Dark Lord Voldemort."

She took a deep breath, and Harry's eyes flicked down for a millisecond as did the young King's.

"The best form we have come up with so far is a representative government, based on population, not territory, since our people are all over the country, so what our political adviser has recommended is that the people elect a representative, and each representative can handle the needs of 1000 voters, and everyone over the age of 17 gets a single vote, inasmuch as there are probably less than 100,000 magicals in the country, then that means only 100 representatives., a relatively easy number to deal with."

The King's Regent spoke up.

"I was led to believe that there were only 45,000 magicals in the country, at least that is the last report I recall."

Harry answered this question.

"There are about 45,000 registered and known witches and wizards in the country, but there are probably twice that many who can't do direct magic, but are from magical bloodlines, those with 'gifts', those who are known as squibs, and the like. Then there are many who have never left their traditional homes, hedge witches, those who never came out to afford school or public notice. Gypsies, our own home-grown brand of gypsies, who are beneath the notice of the Government either muggle or magical., so, by our count a bit over 100,000 'magical' peoples and that does not include he non humans, as they all have their own forms of governing, and we shall not place our rules on them. We will, however have agreements of common cause, how we treat them and how they treat us.. there is a history of abuse by the human side of these relationships, and I want that to end now."

He looked at the leaders of the non-human races and spoke, while standing in front of the wall sized image of Aragog moving about in his lair.

"We had to do something about Aragog and his children here, because they were spreading out and someone would be killed, if it was a human, the humans would have burned the entire forest without regard as to who else was in there, centaurs, goblins or anyone. I didn't want to kill the spiders off for following their instinctual ways, so we came up with the next best thing."

he waved his hand towards the image behind him.

"I see no reason to kill an intelligent being, unnecessarily, and what we get out of them in trade pays for the expenses of maintaining security and food, and the like. If you look at the balance sheets for the Island project, it is currently a loss, but in time will move forward to profitability."

He waved and the images of the spiders disappeared, the view moved over the sea and focused on Shala, the Dragon.

"Shala is my friend and she has given me some remarkable gifts..Say hi to the people Shala."

The huge dragon regarded the people watching her, at least mentally, for there was no image to see.

She stood, and stretched and yawned like some huge twenty ton cat, all teeth and claws.

"Hello all. I am Shala, You all are leaders of your peoples."

"I would have you know that without my people none of your people would exist."

The words were like hot iron in the minds of the listeners."

"When my people came to this world, we brought the other residents of our homeworlds.. and we had a relationship with each.. The Centaur's forebears were our astrogators, those who watched the stars and guided us safely.. The goblin peoples were a security force, born and bred for battle, strategy and finding the best way forward, that is to say, profitably."

Mentally the great dragon regarded the Dwarves.

"The Dwarven races were in charge of construction and management of the ship and landing zones."

The humans.. well, all around general purpose hands for we who have none.. I will give each of your peoples a gift. The humans are receiving theirs now, in the form of the mind arts."

"Your people Hooknose shall be known as he greatest strategists in the world, that is as long as you give up the insatiable need for profit at another's expense. You must work for the good of all magical and non magicals in this world."

"King Drusk, Prince Javan, your people will build great things, that will be known for many centuries as the greatest, but you must work with my chosen.."

"Elves, Dobby, you are the leader of your peoples, your first job is to free the rest of your people from slavery, and then you will be known as the great emancipator, and then your people will be those who host, and see to the needs of all..for that is what you do best."

Dobby and Winky bowed to the great beast.

"Young King. There will be a time when your power will expand over more than just the magical people of this world, you will be called upon to make hard decisions. Keep your friends here close and they will advise you well." The young King got a glowing image of Harry and Hermione in his mind, as well as the odd blond girl who was sitting with the oddly dressed older man.

He reeled a bit at this mental shock. His mother put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"I do not wish to cause strife between your races, but your very world and lives depend on your cooperation."

"It may seem that I am forcing you into niches, but if you each look deep within yourselves, those niches are where you are the happiest and most creative."

"Now then, I have other things to do, so, I bid thee farewell."

With that Shala curled up in a huge lump with her nose tucked under a wing and was sleeping in moments.

"The wall went back to a view of the ocean and sky.

Harry spoke first.

"Err, well, that was unexpected.."

The various groups pulled back slightly to confer amongst themselves.

All in all the dinner/ get together was considered a success.

The next morning at 0h dark thirty, Harry was stretching and getting ready for PT and a five mile run, as was Hermione who wasn't quite awake yet,

""Good Morning, Lovely Lady"

"grmblgrmbl toorly grmbl"

"So are we still sleepy, hmm?"

"grmbl sleepy. Bldy morning people.."

"Do I need to wake you up, or will you do it yourself?"

"grmble sleep..lemmee alone"

"Ok, you asked for it. Aguaglacia"

Hermione's scream could be heard a kilometer away, even by the non-weres.. Quinn looked up and saw Harry running his way, fast, followed by a wet witch with a wand..

"So, I see they are starting out with the run.. hmm. Troops fall out, Our employer is leading the run today.."

Two weeks before school starts.

The meeting room, all the department heads were there, each at the table with a comm mirror in front of them, as well as a big mirror on the wall at the front of the room.

Sirius was speaking.

"Ok we have in place plans for a variety of situations, not every situation, but most.. no one can plan for everything, obviously.. Our reports from Percy indicate that the Ministry is forcing a "Ministry approved" DADA teacher upon us, and with what we have been able to glean of their plans, this is probably the worst person that could be not only for the School's sake but for the people of Magical Britain as well."

"Your report Agent Percy?"

In the big mirror, the faces of Percy and Arthur could be seen, Percy rolled his eyes at the title given him by Sirius.

"Thank you Lord Black, Lord Potter." The documents I have procured, and copied are in your hands, and if you look them over you will see plans and permits for the construction of camps outside Birmingham, Devon, Wainscull and Briley. These camps are to be used for he incarceration of the muggleborne and the 'Enemies of the State'

if you look at the list of names that have been copied from heir planning roster, y7ou can see the targets of interest are virtually all non-purebloods, that is, the muggleborne. There are however people on the list that are not considered muggleborne, the first on that list is you Lord Potter, you are considered to be an enemy of the state, and as such you should be very careful when you return to Hogwarts."

Everyone in the meeting looked and sure enough there in first position was Harry, followed closely by his friends, or assumed friends.

"Look on page 232 of your folders please" Percy may have been considered a bit of a prig, but he sure did know how to write a comprehensive report.

"On page 232 you will see copies of requisitions for several hundred magical leeches.. I know you have come across such a thing of late, with the Malfoy situation.. He was in here a week after his heir came back from school, demanding that you be arrested,. And Minister Fudge, being a well bought off minister has delegated and made arrangements."

Percy looked down at his copy of the report, and up at Harry on his screen.

"Lord Potter..Harry..Be careful. Penny and I want you to be around to meet our our children."

this was a shock for at the moment Percy and Penelope had no children.

there was a moment where no one spoke.

"Percival, you are an honest man, you are risking your career and your very life on the hopes that I survive and take back what belongs to our people."

"How can I do less?. I will be there for you and Penelope, and for your children as well. You have a place in my protection, and never fear, even if you and I fall, your family will be protected and safe."

Percy didn't know that is is what he wanted to hear, but once having heard it, sighed in relief, because it was the exact thing.

Harry tossed the report aside,having memorized it..

"So, you gentlemen know what to do?"

Arthur and Percy nodded. Arthur answered.

"We have been quietly capturing and interviewing quite a few people and have a pretty good idea of who iss a sympathiser, who is a Death Eater, marked or otherwise, and who we can count on to be trusted when you send the signal."

"Good, go floor by floor, department by department. Skip the Department Of Mysteries, we have an internal person there. Take out the Trace office as soon as you can, you know what the runestones look like, switch them with the duds and send them to us as fast as you can."

Arthur and Percy nodded. They had their plans in place, and already had their lieutenants picked. Arthur didn't know it, but he was first on the list to replace Minister Fudge, when the time came. Some had asked Harry and Sirius why not replace Fudge with a known quantity, like Amelia Bones, and Harry told them that he had a word wit h his foreseer, and decided that Madam Bones was better as a law enforcement officer. She was trying, and had been for years, to change laws for the better, knock down bad laws, (of which most were put in place by Fudge and his cronies)

Sirius had spent some time with Amelia, in fact they had gone on a few dates, even though they didn't' cal them a date, in truth they were.

Harry and Hermione had a long conversation with Luna and the girl had given him all the possible threads of all the possible futures.. he rejected several outright, because they led towards an apocalypse in short order, many ended in Magical Britain being exposed and destroyed, some ended in a plague like disease sweeping across the world and eliminating magic altogether, creature, human, everything.

Amelia Bones needed to stay as the Head of the DMLE, because she was the best person to run that operation.

Sirius recalled the conversation he had with her.

"Siri, what you are advocating is the overthrow of a standing government"

"yes Amy, I am, but it's corrupt and criminal government officials that fail to represent it's people. And protect then properly."

"I should arrest you for sedition, you know."

"so where are you hiding your handcuffs then?"

Amelia's blush went all the way down. Sirius leered and dove in again.

Later when they were done.

Our legal team is getting a Writ from the muggle government and the King, authorizing us to do this."

"I want to see those papers before you start anything, if I deem them legal, I will support your revolution.. not just because it's right, but because you have the authority given by the higher powers."

"You always were a legalist, Amy"

"Do you know how hard it is to be a woman in my position?, I have to be twice as good just to stay even with a man in my job.. besides what would happen if Rufus gets my job, or worse, the Minister's job?"

"He will be problems, to be sure, but he can be neutralized, let me take care of that."

"Siri, if you hadn't gotten thrown into Azkaban, you would be Head Auror now, you know that."

Sirius nodded lazily, if it had happened, things would be very different now.

"I do have a position now, I am the Field Marshal of all troops and security arm of our group."

"I am the commander of a force twice as large as the Ministry's Aurors and hit wizards combined.

In a straight up battle, I will win, but our Commander in Chief has laid down the law, no unnecessary deaths. Live capture is the order of the day."

Amy rolled over and leaned on her elbow to look Sirius in the eye.

"How long will that last?, until the enemy takes one of your troops?, and by the way there is a law against individuals having their own armies, you know."

Sirius tried to look innocent. "They are not an army, they are a security force, like the muggles who stand guard at the bank or at school crossings, really!"

"Siri, I know better than that, if you are doing what I think you are doing, your people are trained up to and beyond anything my Aurors are capable of, not to mention I understand you are using Muggle Military advisers."

"Amy, you know me better than that, I think.."

"You think you can get away with just about anything if you sweet talk me, now I am perfectly aware that every known werewolf in the UK and many from other countries as well have disappeared, and that you have offered them all jobs and free wolfsbane, as well as respect."

"I have been trying to get the Ministry to do exactly that for years, ever since I met your friend Lupin, but you know the political situation that I have to deal with, now, if I am to be part of this revolution of yours, you should introduce me to your Commander in Chief, and soon."

Sirius pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

"First thing tomorrow, in the meantime you were talking about the position you were in, I have an idea about positions..."

The next day.

"Mr Potter, what are you doing here?"

"Sirius said you wanted to see me?"

"He did?..oh yes, I said I wanted to meet...You?"

Harry stood at attention and produced a packet of official documents, signed by The King's Regent, by the young King, himself, by The Prime Minister of the UK, by the First Minister of Scotland, of Ireland and Wales, as well as the heads of law enforcement for each region.

The final signature was signed by the Army Field Marshal, the Admiral of the Fleet, and the Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

The paperwork gave him, Harry authority to make the magical world align itself with the laws of the nation, to bring a halt to the infringing of civil rights to any and all sentient creatures, to capture the criminals known as Death Eaters by whatever means necessary, to bring to a halt any and all plans to capture and imprison the innocent for whatever nefarious means the Ministry had thought up.

Amelia read this paperwork thoroughly, checking back in several places to verify his right to do this.

After quite a time, she looked up and there was Harry still standing, waiting for her answer.

"It appears, Lord Potter, that you have engineered an 'end run' around the Ministry and are planning to destroy our government to the very core."

she said this as a law enforcement officer. She took out her monacle and leaned back in her chair.

"Have a seat Lord Potter, tell me what this is all about, I know we spoke some when you were working on getting sirius free, but I want to know everything."

Harry took a deep breath and began to speak.

By the end of the conversation, Amelia Bones knew more about Harry Potter and his plans than anyone other than Hermione Granger.

going back to school

On the Hogwarts express.

The prefects meeting had broken up and the students were returning to their compartments or heading out for their assignments.

Ron stopped Hermione from leaving the compartment with a hand on her arm.

The bushy haired girl froze and though Ron didn't see it, her wand fell into her right hand.

"Herms, can you stay a minute and talk to me, I want to ask you something."

"Very well, ask" she made sure the compartment door did not close and that Ron didn't get between her and the door.

"Herms, you know I fancy you, right?"

She hated that mangling of her name. "I suspected you did, but I have not said anything."

"Good, then you will be happy that I'm going to let you be my girlfriend this year"

Her demeanor was that of one stunned.

"_**Let. Me. Be. Your. Girlfriend**_."

it wasn't in the form of a question.

Ron, being Ron didn't detect the sudden sub-zero temperature being projected from the witch.

"Yeah, I figured you would need someone to help you fit in better with the wizarding world, and since I'm a pureblood, that it can only help your status, and maybe get you some respect from the Old Families."

He looked out the window at the passing scenery.

"Plus you won't have the embarrassment of not being able to get a date, and we could make out whenever we wanted.."

He turned back to see her face and froze at the look or cold anger that worked as well as a basilisk's glare..

An instant later the spells were cast and Ron Weasley was petrified, incarcerated and stuck the wall of the compartment, he was silenced as well.

Her pulsing anger was felt three cars down in the compartment she shared with Harry and her friends.

Luna looked up in surprise as she felt a reality nexus pop up and start to unravel. Harry sat quietly, appearing to meditate, but inwardly he was watching the confrontation.

Hermione's voice was cold and precise.

"Ronald Weasley, how dare you say any such thing to me, why would I even consider the very idea of being your girlfriend, after the way you have acted this last year, in fact all of the years I have known you, there has not been one single time in the last five years that you have shown me the slightest respect, consideration or even thanked me for helping you survive to pass your tests, let alone advance to the next year.. If it were not for me, you would probably still be doing first year over again for the fifth time.."

She paused to take a breath.

"The very idea or me being your girlfriend is ridiculous in the extreme, and it will not happen in this life or the next, in this reality, alternative dimension or half-baked novelization!"

"We have nothing in common, except for our friendship with Harry and the fact that after you insulted me, he dragged you into the confrontation with the Troll in the first year, and ever since then you have been a drag on his shirttails, keeping him down and driving away potential friends and allies with your attitudes and behavior."

Another breath.

"You have the manners of a barnyard pig, you smell like one on a regular basis and are just plain rude to anyone who doesn't bow down to your superior attitude, the concept of pureblood superiority is a idiotic and easily disproved idea, the notion that _**I**_ could go places by being associated with _**you**_ , a pureblood, is disgusting, I assure you Ronald Bilius, I will be going places, you can count on that, I will be going to the ends of the Earth doing what I want with my life, using my intelligence, and resources to help improve the world, while slackers like you are dying out because you will be so inbred you are too stupid to remember to breathe!"

Ron's mouth was moving, but no sound could be heard.

"The concept of 'making out' with you, eeugh! It makes me want to vomit.. I don't know the last time you brushed your teeth, but your breath could stun a thestral, and if you think that you're touching _**these**_, well dream on, because these are taken, and quite thoroughly not yours to touch, ogle or think about.!"

She pushed her chest out just a bit, like a proud Miss Liberty on the prow of a ship.

"I'm going to show you something, Ronald, In fact you can be the first person to see this on the Express, This, Ronald is the level of love and commitment that I have been shown, the support and acceptance that has been given me, and mind you, I am sure you will do just as you have for the last four years, you will be jealous and snipe at people and act like a spoiled child, but here, look here, you know what this is?"

she held up her left hand, and there on her ring finger was a ring, a promise ring, made of platinum, with a sapphire stone. And on her first finger a ring with the Potter crest on it, one worn by the intended of the Potter heir. A ring that acted just as the Head of House ring would, as an emergency portkey, as a key to properties and vaults, as a potions and poison detector.

Those two pieces of metal and stone crushed Ronald's world. His plans and his only hope.

This was OWL year, how would he get an OWL if he didn't have Hermy to get him through?"

Her voice cut through his thoughts.

"Harry loves me, he has shown me respect and love and he has made me feel safe and warm, where if somehow if I ended up with you, I am sure I would end up homeless and cold in the snow, without any hope."

Before you start whining about how Harry gets everything , the money and the fame and all that, remember the cost of 'all that'.. the lives of his family, the loss of his heritage to lying thieves and politicians, the attacks from the Ministry and the Prophet, think about the price he had to pay, think about last year when YOU chose to disbelieve him about the Goblet and how YOU could have helped, instead you actively hindered.."

"You are a misogynistic pinhead, rude and selfish and on the whole the only reason I have anything to do with you at all is because for some reason Harry likes you."

Hermione's tirade stopped. She looked at the scruffy wizard stuck to the wall.

"Nothing I've said will make a bit of difference to you, will it."

another statement that was not a question.

"very well. On your head be it."

"Obliviate!.. you left the compartment at the end of the meeting and did your assigned rounds without complaint. You have no interest in myself in any way, and will ignore me from now on."

She did a disillusionment and moved to the front corner of the compartment to watch what happened next.

She finited the charms and Ron fell off the wall with a thud as he hit the bench.

This woke him up from his stupor.

"Huh, must have fell asleep. Bloody boring being a prefect anyway. I wonder if there's some food left on the trolley"

he got up and left the compartment without a backward glance.

Hermione had settled down in the compartment with Harry, Luna, Neville and Ginny.

As was expected, the door was whipped open by Malfoy who, following tradition came to give his usual new school year threats.

"Potter, I don't know how you did it, but.." He was silenced and bound in less than two seconds.

"What, Malfoy?, took away your illegal magical leeches?, took away what little power you had, keeping you from being labeled a squib?, made you take responsibility for yourself for once, not on the backs of others?"

"Oooh, did I piss off your daddy?, will he have words with me?..I do hope so, because I have something for him too"

"Begone, you little pouf"

Malfoy was thrust out of the compartment into the arms of his 'bodyguards'. Harry saw them smirking as they caught the ferret.

Goyle looked in and winked as the door closed.

The group laughed as the door was closed in the face of their attacker, Neville asked first.

"How did you know what he was going to say?"

"I had to give a disposition to Madam Bones this summer as to what I did on the Express in June..Greg and Vince have been in contact, and their families are working toward freedom from Malfoy.. it seems the Blacks have a bigger claim on the fealty of the Goyle and Crabbe clans, and Sirius took it from Lucius along with over 100,000 galleons in outstanding debt that was owed to the Blacks."

"Good for him, of course that will make him a target, no?"

"  
Yes, to some extent, but he always was a target. Now he keeps a squad handy to help fight off any attacks, plus Voldy doesn't want to commit too many people to attacking the Blacks or the Potters, for his people tend to disappear..."

"Really?, what's happening to them?"

"Not going to say, that way Dumbledore can't get it out of your mind.."

Neville considered this.

"That's a good idea, I have been doing the exercises that you taught us, and I can think and concentrate better now, I think this is going to be a good school year for me."

"That's great, Nev, hows the fallout from your relationship with Gin?"

The redheaded girl grinned and leaned into the Longbottom Heir.

"Ron was against it, he seems to think he has a say in who I want to be with" Ginny laid it out."But Daddy had a word or six with him, making him promise to leave us alone."

she had her hands clutched around Neville's arm. They looked good as a couple together.

"Mum was a bit of a problem, she kept going on about Harry and I being perfect for each other, and saying that Dumbledore would convince you to ask me out, and Daddy had to have a talk with her as well, all I know is that they went into their bedroom and put up silencing charms.. and when they came out, she didn't look as happy as she usually does."

The teens all grimaced a bit at the thought of ..well.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Two days before the Express was to leave Kings Cross.

Severus Snape was a cautious man, that was how he was able to survive things that many did not. He planned for many contingencies as possible, and if there was any one thing he had ever picked up from Alastor Moody it was CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

He had heard bits of rumor about a fabulous find in basilisk parts, rendered into potions ingredients for sale. He had worked his way through a variety of people, looking for information on this find, determined to have whatever was available.. He knew the Dark Lord would favor him for his acquisitions, and reward him as well.

He had spoken with several people, and legilimised them, finding the person who had told them, and after obliviating that person of the memory of his questioning, went on up the chain of rumor.

It had taken three days of tracking and searching, and he was finally at the door of the seller of those goods. His last contact had made the arrangement to meet the seller, and told him to be at this door at this time.

It was a seedy flophouse that rented rooms by the hour, the place stunk of sex and sweat and that awful unwashed sour smell of the exceedingly poor.

He looked down the hall toward the stairs, and checked the area for avenues of escape and for any hiding places which an attacker might jump out of. Finding no attackers, he rolled his eyes at the grunting and squeaking bed frame of the room next door, and the whore's monotone of encouragement for her client.

He knocked three times on the door. It opened a crack, and an eye, or rather a dark face with sunglasses peered out. "Name?"

Snape muttered the agreed name he was to use. "Blinky" another eye roll. The contact told him it was an important name, historical, even.

The door jerked open and Snape was pulled inside by the dark skinned man.

The door slammed and Snape was standing against the wall, not moving. There were two men in the room.

The dark, African looking man, with hair braided in cornrows, wearing wraparound sunglasses. He wore a leather coat, and all black clothes. Somewhere inside Snape approved of the wardrobe. What he was somewhat worried about was what the man was holding.

Even Snape, who had lived most of his life in the Wizarding World recognized the deadly shape of a shotgun. This one was deadly looking, a short handle, a large barrel.

If he had the opportunity to read the engraved plate he would have seen the words Mossberg 590. All Snape knew, is that the man could blow him in half with the twitch of a finger.

The other man in the room spoke first.

"Thank you Mr Noser, you may stand down."

The guard moved the barrel of the weapon about a half inch toward the floor, but otherwise did not move, his eyes never left Snape.

The potions master turned his attention toward the other man in the room. A man who would blend in on the street of any city in England. Wearing a gray suit, white shirt and blue tie. He had dark hair and thick eyebrows, like some kind of weird caterpillar crawling across his forehead.

"Hello Mr Blinky, You may call me Mr Bean"

Snape said nothing.

"What I have to sell today is finest quality potions ingredients, taken from a superb specimen of a Basilisk. I have ten ounces of venom, I have two kilos of bone, both in solid and ground form, I have ten ounces of blood, Four ounces of fresh liver, never dried or preserved, I also have an eye, unfortunately it is damaged, but it is all there, the eye alone is worth ten thousand."

with each material the man placed on the table a container with the named contents, and all his goods were in a case behind the table, out of sight and out of reach.

The last object mentioned was the eye. Snape was stunned at the size of the thing.

"How big was this..creature?"

"I am told it was 63 feet long, and close to three tonnes. I would not have believed it if I had not seen it myself."

Snape was gazing at the remains of the eye.. it had been shredded on the iris side, but the back and optic nerve was intact, as well as the actual sphere of the eye. The lens and Iris had taken the most damage.

Realization was coming upon the potions master, as to where this had come from. The gray man kept talking.

"Here we have a minor fang, we must keep it in the container, as it still contains venom."

he laid a box on the table holding a sharp and deadly looking fang over a foot long.

Snape had a bad feeling about this.

"How much for all of it"

"Including everything on the table, G70,000. But it is a one time deal."

"I don't have that much available, partial lots, then."

"How much can you afford, or is there something that you want more than the other, say, just the fang, or just the venom.. hmm?"

"How do I know this is all real and not some trick?" he started to pull out his wand, but froze when he heard the sound of the shotgun being pumped, and the feel of the barrel against his back.

"I assume you want to test the products for authenticity, very well, you may do so..Thank you Mr Noser, I have it." Snape felt the object taken away from his back and the breath he had been holding came out in a rush.

"Pardon me, I should have asked, so sorry"

"That is quite all right, Mr Blinky. I know it's exciting to find such a treasure trove.!"

Snape carefully did the authenticity tests that he knew, that would reveal transfiguration, counterfeits, and other trickery. When he was done, he was satisfied.

"I want the fang, the blood and the venom, but as I said I only have a certain amount of gold to spend, perhaps we can work something out."

"Perhaps, Mr Snape, perhaps.. oh, don't worry, We know who you are, we won't tell, your name will never leave this room. So, how much do you have to spend?"

The gray man looked positively cheerful as if he wanted to sell a used car.

Snape frowned. "I have G20,000 to work with, my life savings. I am a mere professor, you know."

"Oh yes, we know you quite well. So, for the fang, the blood and the venom, 20,000, I suppose that might be a good deal. Unfortunately, you won't be getting anything today."

Snape tried to do something. His magic did not work, he couldn't move and he was speechless.

"Jolly good show, though. The gray man reached inside Snape's cloak and took his money bag and tossed it on the table. "Thanks for the tip, and have a nice trip" The gray man slapped something on Snape's forehead and activated it.. a portkey

Snape still couldn't move, the man behind him.. Mr Noser had injected him with some paralyzing agent, or maybe the eye.. yes that was it. The eye had petrified him somehow.. his mind was frantically trying to grasp a reason, a method, something. He felt himself approaching the portkey landing zone, fast. There was nothing to do but ride it out. As he spun toward the ground, he saw the earth open like some kind of sphincter and he went into a tunnel, and all of a sudden was encased in some kind of cold gel. No,it wasn't cold gel, he was suddenly without clothes, wand, weapons, anything.

He could even feel the gap in his jaw where his portkey tooth had been.

Paralyzed or not, his inner ear was spinning, and he felt himself as if in a ball, rolling down a slope..it was insane, but he remembered some music played by a neighbor when he still lived in Spinner's end with his mother.

"_A pinball wizard, has to be a something something. dahdahdah._ As he became more dizzy, several flashes of light and he was unconscious, stunned.

A long time later he awoke. Everything around him was distorted and blue.. he tried to reach the sides of his spherical prison. He tried what little wandless magic he could do, he tried yelling and shouting, he tried everything he could think of. He could not apparate, he could not portkey out, his portkey was gone, he called for his elf. He saw movement outside the sphere and an elfin face peered at him.

"Bad wizard, go to sleep" the creature waved a hand and Snape knew no more.

Dreams, flashes of insanity. His life. More flashes and awareness again.

He felt disoriented. Surrounding him was a sea of blue spheres, and in each sphere was a shadowy figure. Some moved, most did not. There were figures moving about among the spheres. A group gathered around the one nearest him across an aisle. Humans and elves.. at least they looked something like elves, only bigger, and healthier looking .. and hair. A female snapped her head in his direction, her long black hair whipping around, her bronze green skin and her delicate features.. no, they were some other kind of elf, one never seen before, he was sure of it.

The people gathered across from him turned and looked him over..

Black.

His school time enemy. He was behind this.

"Black you piece of Shite, let me go!"

Sirius sneered as proper a pureblood sneer there ever was.

Black touched something and he could hear.

"Snivilous, didn't anyone ever teach you not to yell at the warden of your jail, it will get you time in solitary."

Snape ranted and raved and shouted imprecations at Black, until he was worn out.. a surprisingly short time, actually.

Black stood there patiently waiting for him to stop.

"Are you quite done?, good. " he was cut off before he could answer

"Now, you might want to know the terms of your incarceration, and what's happening to you.."

Black paced as he spoke.

"You are a prisoner of war. You have no rights, you will be questioned and your answers will be truthful, why? Because we have flooded your body with veritaserum, and a compulsion to speak. If you look , you can feel it down there in your gut, just bubbling up, you want to talk, and tell allll your secrets, now don't you?"

"You in particular, we have been dosing for the last three days with repeated flushing potions, getting rid of that tricky little potion you have kept to yourself, you know the one that allows you to fight the veritaserum?, yes we know about that, and have countered it."

"You are, after all a potions master, and who better to defeat a truth serum than a potions master."

"Now that you are defeated there, let me tell you of your prison cell."

"It was invented and manufactured by two of the most creative and sneaky people I have ever met, other than of course James and Lily, you recall, the people you murdered.. in any event, the sphere in which you reside is a multi purpose creation, designed as I said, by the Weasley brothers, Gred and Forge.. very creative, those boys, the occupant, you are suspended, weightless in the center, no matter how much you struggle, you cannot reach the edge, and even if you did, it would be a frictionless surface, and also, nothing to hold onto. If you look down, you will notice that gravity does work, all waste, and blood and ..whatever will go to the bottom and be vanished.. in fact this is the only way out of the sphere.. dead or alive..no, just dead."

Sirius gestured.,

See the lines in a hexagonal pattern?, it looks like a football in a way, you know about football, don't you? You DID grow up in the muggle world, right?

Sirius stood as Snape raged for a while, then continued talking.

"The lines.. remember?.. if you look closely, there are runes, many many runes.. all I have to do is this" he touched a spot on the outside of the sphere and the inside lit up bright as the sun. then went out. Snape blinked, the glare had destroyed his vision for a moment, it was like looking into the sun..

"Or if I touch this." Suddenly he was being sprayed all over by a wash of water, not cold, not hot, but tepid. Some got in his mouth and he realized that he was thirsty, he tried to catch some more, but ended up breathing more than drinking. The water shut off and he was cold, chilled, as he dripped dry.

"Don't want our prisoners to get dusty, now do we?"

The Runes stop you from using any magic, of any sort, from apparating out, you cannot use legilimancy from in there, but we have telepaths and can rip your mind open at will."

"The runes also provide a way point for nutrition and potions to be inserted into your body..not tasty, but it will keep you alive."

"We can send in potions, nutrition, all manner of things through the skin of this sphere, here, I better up the dosage of veritaserum, the last one washed off."

A mist that smelled and tasted like the named potion filled the sphere, and Snape could hardly stop himself from speaking.

"So, Snape, you are a prisoner, and we are going to interrogate you, and you are going to sing your heart out, telling us all your secrets and any others you know.. these nice people here will be asking questions and recording your answers, which will be collated so we can render an honest judgment and pronounce a sentence."

"before you ask, we have the authorization from the government to interrogate, question, probe, poke and even execute you, providing we can prove your crimes.. and you, Snape are going to provide as much proof as needed, so, Ta.."

Black turned to walk away.

"I hate you Black, I hope you die a horrible death!

Snape shouted out.

Sirius turned and looked him in the eye. "See, it's working already, that, I believe , is a truthful statement."

he smiled and was gone.

The questioning began.

"What is your name?"

Severus Tobias Snape"

are you a Death Eater?"

"yes"

"Who did you kill for your initiation?"

"A muggle girl"

"What was her name?"

"I don't know"

"Who do you serve?"

"Dumbledore"

"Who is your master?"

"Voldemort"

"Who do you serve?"

"Dum..Voldemort"

"Name every person you know to be a marked Death Eater"

"Avery, Carrows, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, McNair,"...

He had named names and name and names again and again. He was asked when others had joined the dark lord, who they had killed, where and when any action had taken place..

The questioning went on for hours, many times the same questions were asked, but in a different way.

He answered and answered and answered, until he felt empty. .

He slumped, as well as a weightless person could slump.. weariness took him, and his dreams were filled with screaming and questions.

He awoke to movement and saw a team of Goblins working on something on the far side of the chamber.. he was shocked when he realized that, in spite of it being partially rendered, it was the basilisk, and indeed it was at least 60 feet long.

"It is a big snake isn't it?"

Snape turned his head and there was Black once more.

"My Godson Harry killed it, you know.. it bit him, that's why he has to have special potions, and that's why you were brewing special amortentia for Dumbledore to give to Molly Weasley.. they had a plot to hook up Harry with Ginny Weasley. We found out, of course, and the evidence, as much of the evidence points to you and your two dark lords.."

Black looked at the sad man in the sphere.

"What are we going to do with you, Snape?" I apologized for when I was young and stupid, aren't you man enough to get over it?"

"You tried to kill me with your beast friend, Lupin."

"I apologized, I swore an oath that I really meant it.. you chose to not accept it, now it's your problem..

Black turned away to leave but was met by Harry coming down the aisle..

They spoke for several moments, gesturing toward the prisoner

The young man turned and faced the dark haired professor.

"You have anything to say to me, Snape?"

"Well?"

"I have nothing to say to you, you arrogant child"

"Hey Snape, guess what?"

"It isn't arrogance if you can back it up"

"When you get to the afterlife, James and Lily will be waiting for you."

Harry's voice was cold.

The Lord Potter and The Lord Black conferred for a moment.

Harry turned to Snape and began to speak

"Snape, your days of teaching are done, as well as those of spying, of abusing children, of serving your two dark lords, of your life as you know it. No we are not going to kill you, though you might wish we had.. no you are our prisoner, you are going to continue to spill your guts, and tell us every secret you know, and by the time we are done with you, you will beg for death, but you know what? We are not going to kill you, , however, we ARE going to put your mind under a compulsion to speak every crime you have ever committed, every killing, every perversion. You will never stop confessing your sins.

Death will not release you."

"You will never, in any way identify yourself or any other magical person, you will never be freed of your sins, and you cannot tell anyone how to free you."

"Your magic will be bound, you will be made a Eunuch, and you will be set loose loose in a muggle town. You know what Muggles do with people like that?"

no one answered.

"They put them away in locked rooms where they can't hurt themselves or others, they drug them with a wide variety of potions,muggle style, some they cut a part of their brain out, it's called a lobotomy.."

"Isn't that sad, the man once thought to be a bright and shining star in the world of potions, a magic-less muggle, lying on the floor in a puddle of his own shit... and how long do wizards live, a hundred, hundred fifty?, you are what, thirty six?, oh, yes, the age my parents would be if you hadn't killed them!" he paused so Snape could think about his fate.

"So, sixty too one hundred years of lying in a puddle of shit, sounds like you have great plans, Sevvie baby!"

Harry left with this parting shot.

the horror in Snape's eyes was coming to the fore , as the two men walked away.

The train arrived at the station.

He students disembarked and climbed into the carriages. The firsties were all drawn away by Hagrid doing his duty.

Harry and Hermione and the other prefects herded the youngest to their destiny, and saw them off into the boats.

The castle glowed with light, the new semester was upon them and it seemed as if there was a new thing about to happen.

The carriages unloaded at the entry hall, and Harry stood back to watch the door runes he had created clean people's feet as they entered. Mr Filch stood by, watching as well.

"How was your summer, Mr Filch, did you get some peace and quiet?"

Argus Filch nodded. "Me and Mrs Norris went to Spain.. the beaches there are pretty nice."

His face still looked as if he was angry , as he had been for decades, but Harry could tell the man was in a better mood than usual.

"I need to come see you tomorrow, Mr Filch, I have some tools we have created for you, well for your detention sessions."

The old man raised on eyebrow.

"Cleaning tools powered by the student's magic, and something for this mess out here."

Harry waved toward the muddy road up to the castle.

"Sounds interesting, tomorrow, then?"

"I will make the time for you, have a good night Mr Filch, Mrs Norris."

Harry gave a slight bow to the pair and went into the Great Hall.

"That young man is something else, Mrs Norris, you just watch."

Harry sat with Hermione, Neville and Ginny. Ron wandered off down the table, not even looking toward that group, and ended up sitting with Seamus and Dean halfway down the other side.

Harry mentally spoke with Hermione, practicing her new telepathy skills.. she was still learning from Shala.

The actual learning of telepathy was not really learning, but rather it was the dragon opening up the natural channels that were already there, and using them.. like building up a muscle. Every time they used the skill, they got better with it.

Harry could do it as well, but Shala made the process faster and more completely integrated.

"_Mr Filch is in a better mood, he says he and Mrs Norris went to Spain on holiday._

"_It's a beautiful country, My parents and I went there four years ago."_

"_You'll have to show me around when we go"_

"_Whats going on?"_

_Hermione pointed out the presence of a new person at the Head table._

"_That's an Auror, and the woman in pink is Delores Umbridge from the Ministry."_

"_Why is the Auror talking to the Headmaster?"_

"_Probably because they can't find Snape."_

"_What?"_

"_Mooney and Padfoot captured Snape three days ago. He's in the Chamber being questioned."_

"_I see."_

She looked at the line of new students waiting to be sorted.

"_They look so young"_

"_So did we five years ago"_

"_What kind of information are we getting"_

she was speaking of the prisoners that they were acquiring

"_Names., dates, places and where things are hidden."_

"_What names?"_

_marked DEs unmarked DEs, collaborators.. I haven't really looked at the list, I will let Mooney and his Wolfpack capture them."_

"_I'm glad you aren't chasing after them yourself, leave it to the professionals._

"_That seems like a pretty good idea to me."._

"_The sorting is beginning, lets watch"_

The sorting worked out as fate would have it, and new students went to each house.

The feast was eaten and and the Headmaster introduced the new DADA teacher, thrust upon them by the Ministry.

Delores Umbridge stood and proceeded to spout some Ministry approved nonsense when Harry, disgusted, stood and started walking toward the door.

Umbridge took offense to this and put a sonorous on her voice.

"Young man sit down and show some respect"

Harry stopped and turned, his eyes dark.

"Respect for what? you?, I think not."

There were jeers and catcalls

"SILENCE!"

People quieted down.

"You should respect your betters, young man, who are you?"

"You know exactly who I am you simple bitch. Stop acting like an idiot."

"How dare you.! Headmaster I demand he be expelled this instant."

"Why should he expel me, because I tell the truth?, because I know who you are and your plans?" that I know where your loyalty lies?"

"Piss off" he gave the traditional two finger salute.

He began to turn away and the pink toad cast a fairly dark curse at him.

He stepped aside and it splashed impotently on the stonework of the doorway.

Harry was pissed. He turned and marched forward, sidestepping a stream of curses aimed at him, none hitting. He mentally sent a message to Luna, Hermione, Neville and Ginny to erect shields to protect the firsties at least.

The teens and prefects sent the students on the center aisle scurrying around, over and under the tables out of the line of fire. The ones who could, erected shields.

Dumbledore did nothing, he just sat there watching.

He was speaking as he went, not loudly, but clearly enough that he could be heard at every corner of the room.

"You are a blood purist, a person bent on genocide, you have plans to imprison every muggleborne and half blood witch and wizard and arrest them for the crime of 'stealing magic', which is a ludicrous statement, people are born with magic or without. It is a gift given by the people who brought intelligence to this world. YOU are no better than the half blood Voldemort, and by committing the crimes you are planning, you are just as bad as he is."

""He-who-must-not-be-named is dead, he was killed in 1981, you know that."

"I know no such thing, he was reborn into a homunculus body three months ago, just because that idiot Fudge says it didn't happen doesn't mean shite, I saw him, I fought him and he's out there.!

"Minister Fudge has declared it to be so, and thus you, young man are a liar."

There was silence.

"You call me a liar?, how about this, I swear an oath on my magic and my life that I am telling the truth, and you do the same.. I say that Voldemort is back, and YOU swear that you are not building concentration camps to exterminate muggles, how about that?"

Harry raised his wand, high enough to be seen by all.

"I, Lord Harry James Potter, of _**THE**_ _**Most Ancient and Noble**_ House of Potter, swear on my life and my magic, that I did witness the rebirth of the one named Voldemort into a created body in a dark ritual.

So Mote it Be"

He bowed, "I am still alive, I still have my magic, your turn..No?, fine, I'm leaving.."

he turned and was confronted with Draco Malfoy who was working up a tripping hex or something, Harry was about to sidestep the ponce when Umbridge went off.. As he had been declaring his oath, she was getting redder and redder, anger was boiling off her. She put up her wand and screamed

"_AVADA KEDAVERA!" _

_Screaming,from the students and teachers.. the deadly green spell hit Harry square in the back and he fell . Face first on the floor. Malfoy stood over him , laughing hysterically. Hermione was frozen in place, as was Luna. _

_Neville and Ginny were the first to move. Neville vaulted the table and punched Malfoy in the face, and kicking him to the floor, the ponces wand went flying. Few noticed that it was summoned out of the air by one of the Weasley twins. Ginny cast a Petrificus/Incarcerus combination at the Pink clothed woman. _

_Hermione was still frozen. Looking wide-eyed at the body of her love, there on the stones of the Great Hall. _

_Susan Bones thought of it first. She whipped out her comm mirror and called her Auntie._

_Amelia Bones quickly rounded up her best aurors and were on their way to Hogwarts in seconds._

_Several students sent more incarcerous and petrificus spells at the killer, Umbridge was not able to move so much as a finger, but she was still upright, her eyes wide with rage, and the anger still surrounding her like a cloud._

_Fred, or maybe George got his comm mirror and sent a quick message to Radio Sunshine and began broadcasting live from the scene of the crime. Withing three minutes of Harry's impact with the stone, every wizarding wireless in the UK and parts of Europe had the news._

_Hermione was still frozen, staring, Ginny came up and put her arms around her friend, and kept everyone away, whispering "I'm so sorry" in Hermione's ear. The bushy haired girl spoke for the first time, in a whisper, so only Ginny could hear._

"_He's not dead, it didn't kill him"_

"_But Hermione.."_

"_Watch." The older girl projected into the younger's mind what she was seeing._

_Harry was standing in Kings Cross. The place was empty, but off in the distance, on another platform, various shadows could be seen flitting across to their trains._

"_Harry?"_

_The young man turned toward the voice._

"_Hi, Mum, Dad, Vernon."_

_He was engulfed in hugs from all three. "It's good to see you, son, but it's too soon, you have quite a few years before your trip."_

"_I know Mum, but I apparently had a passenger to drop off."_

_they all looked at the twisted creature that was lying on the brickwork of the platform._

"_That is a piece of Tom, and if I am correct, I can drop off a few more pieces while I am here.. sorry, Mum, Dad, I am not staying.. I have to get back to Hermione, she needs me, and I am not going anywhere without her."_

_James patted his son on the back. "That's my boy, he knows his priorities"_

_Harry grinned as he opened his bag, the nearly bottomless, but not quite, that Hermione had gifted him with on his birthday. Pulled out a few items._

"_First, a ring." he pulled out the Ring that had been hidden in the Gaunt cottage. He and Bill Weasley had recovered it. Harry had felt the compulsion to put it on, and for safety reasons had put a large padlock through the ring, that way there would be no accidents._

_He laid the ring on a convenient baggage trolly. "Next a diadem.. We found this in a hidden room in Hogwarts, It really wanted me to put it on, but I was able to stop it, a parseltongue spell, I just had to finite it"_

_he lay it next to the ring._

"_Next, from Sirius' house, a locket.. ugly thing.."_

_he lay it on the trolly._

"_One last thing that I can get to." he lay a burned book on the trolly._

"_These are the things that Tom used to keep himself alive.. there is one, maybe two more, I have to get to, the one is in a vault in Gringotts"_

"_What is it?"_

"_Helga Hufflepuff's cup. The other one is Nagini, his snake, and himself, and we are free of the dark jerk._

_James snorted. "and then you have one more to go."_

_Harry and Lily both rolled their eyes._

_Harry spoke aloud. "I need a container"_

_The rail station obligingly provided a trash receptacle._

"_Good enough"_

_He picked up each item, one by one and shook it out, and out of each one a partial spirit drooled, leaked, dripped. None had any structural integrity, and so, none could stand._

_The trash receptacle was filling up. _

_He looked about himself, over his shoulder, and as if far away, he saw Ginny and Hermione sitting on ephemeral chairs at an ephemeral table, the two girls clutching one another. _

_He stepped over that way, and faced the two girls. _

"_Ginny, this won't hurt a bit."_

_He reached into her head and pulled out a strand of something, and then pulled harder, until out popped an insubstantial bit of spirit that had never left the girl._

_In the physical realm, those who were sensitive to such things saw an ephemeral Harry step out of somewhere, nod to Neville and stand in front of Ginny. He did something with her head and they could hear a drawn out screaming as Harry and the thing disappeared, screaming NoNoNoNoNoNoNononononoonoooo"_

Ginny staggered as if someone had pulled a cork out of her bottle. She felt herself for a second and smiled.."I didn't know I felt so bad until I felt so good" it's like I was bound up inside and now I'm not.. She whooped as more action was happening over at Harry's body.

Amelia Bones entered the Great Hall and took control, Immediately Umbridge was arrested and put in magic suppressing manacles. Her wand was acquired and put into an evidence bag.

"You are charged with the murder of the Head of THE Most Ancient House in our society.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, cursing someone in the back.."

All this was going out on the wireless, and the audience share was going up exponentially.

An Auror checked the body of Lord Potter for a pulse and standing, shook his head no.

"No, don't touch him, he's doing something, he's not done yet.. he'll be back."

"But Hermione, it was a killing curse."

"Doesn't matter, he's Harry, watch."

They did,

As they watched, all the Ghosts of Hogwarts appeared, not just the House ghosts, but every Ghost, Myrtle, The Baron, Nick The Grey Lady, The Fat Friar, Binns, and almost fifty others appeared and stood around the fallen Lord.

The Ghosts could see and a few were telling the mortals what was happening in the spirit realm,

and there were gasps of recognition when Lily and James were mentioned.

The thing Harry was doing was done. Someone came and took away the trash receptacle to be loaded on a train bound.. somewhere.

Harry went to his parents and hugged and kissed them and turned to shake the fat man's hand, when the fat man hugged Harry as well. Saying something, Harry nodded and lay down in his body. And everyone gasped when a live Harry Potter got up from the floor of the Great Hall, stretched and spoke

"I'm Back"

Cheering and whoops and whistles as the crowd descended upon him. He pushed them back and opened his arms, and Hermione threw herself into them, Harry held her tightly, and then waved Neville and Ginny over, He one arm hugged Neville and Ginny, kissed the red headed girl on the top of her head and gently pushed the couple together.

Madam Bones kept the two couples protected by a crowd control ward, and waited patiently for the Boy Who Lived Twice to notice her.

Eventually he did. He made Hermione let him go, at least partially so.

"You're alive."

"yes, Madam Bones."

"She killed you"

"I got over it"

he sighed.

" Remember what the fake Moody said last year Hermione?, "

"Which part?"

"if the caster didn't have enough power, one could cast the killing curse and not give him a nosebleed?"

"Apparently for a pureblood, Madam Umbridge doesn't have much in the way of power..at least I didn't stay dead. I barely felt it."

"What was all that fiddling around you were doing, we could not tell, and what did you pull from Miss Weasley"

Amelia Bones was one of the few people who could see into the spirit realm, of the 700 plus people in the Great Hall, she was one of few who could see Harry's actions on the other side.

"Need to know basis, Madam Bones, I will tell you, but only in a private setting, not that I don't trust your wards and privacy spells, but, you know.."

"I see, it has to do with?"

"How he stayed alive in 1981"

She sighed.

"What to do with them?"

she gestured towards Malfoy and Umbridge.

Harry grew dark. "They're mine"

"As you wish"

Harry turned to Hermione.

"Time to set things in motion"

he then turned to Madam Bones.

"You might want to get back to the Ministry, right away, because a coup is about to start"

"Oh?, by who?"

"Me, I'm taking over the wizarding world.. Ta.."

he turned and walked away, toward the prisoners.

Hermione got out her mirror and made several calls. Some were to people within the Great Hall, most were not. Sirius and Mooney were on their way to Hogwarts, well in truth, they were under Hogwarts, in The Chamber, overseeing the interrogation of prisoners, an today was the day they were going to wake up Snape for his first round of questioning.

Harry faced Malfoy.

"You interfered in another's conflict, and you are allied with the dark, your father was a marked Death Eater, and you support the aims and ends of Voldemort, and worse, you have insulted my betrothed.

I challenge you to a duel."

"Anytime scarhead!

"As you wish, right now, I chose Knives, to the death."

"What? A real wizard uses magic to duel, and if challenged, I get to pick the weapons"

"Well, Draco, you aren't a real wizard, you had to use a magical leech on two people to have any power at all, in fact I should just turn you over to them.. they work for me now, you know.."

Crabbe and Goyle picked up the ferret faced ponce and held his arms. The ponce struggled and twisted, but could not free himself.

"When my father hears of this"

"He won't, he's a prisoner of war, and you are the Head of House Malfoy.. the _extremely minor_ House of Malfoy.."

Harry mockingly bowed. "Lord Malfoy"

A knife was thrust into Malfoy's hands and he was then pushed into a ring that had been drawn on the floor. Dumbledore could not get through, for somehow wards had been erected and every student was gathered around.

"The rules are this. Two enter, one leaves, no other rules."

""I'm gonna .." Draco charged forward, knife in hand, attempting to stab Harry, who stepped aside and tripped the ponce. Harry took off his robe and tossed it aside, Luna snagged it out of the air, along with Harry's ever present bag.. She hugged the items to her chest, feeling the warmth of his body and his smell.. she breathed deeply as she watched the duel.

In her other place, hundreds of lines of action evaporated, and so many new ones came into being,

Luna was shocked to see at least one alternate reality where she was part of a relationship with Harry...AND Hermione.. This was something of a shock to her, for she had only just gotten through puberty and was not really thinking about relationships like that.. yet

She blushed and kept the vision to herself. This was the first time ever she had seen herself in one of her visions.

Malfoy charged again and again, The skinny blond tried and never touched his opponent.

In the process, he acquired a crosshatching of cuts on his face, arms, back, legs, buttocks.. in short order he was a bloody mess.

Fred shouted out "What are you doing Harry, Death of a thousand cuts?"

Harry shrugged and spoke. "He's not much of an opponent, I don't want to just kill him"

Draco screamed and charged again, trying to see through he blood in his eyes.

Instead of using the point of his knife, Harry turned it around and punched Malfoy in the side of the head knocking him unconscious.

He kicked the weapon away from Malfoy's outstretched hand and put his foot on the boy's chest.

"I claim a Writ of Conquest against the Minor House of Malfoy. I claim all monies, goods, lands, titles and businesses. All servants, vassals, slaves are now freed, The Minor House of Malfoy is no more."

He turned and walked out of the circle and toward the door of the Great Hall, someone shouted out. "What about Umbridge?"

"Harry sighed and rolled his eyes back and turned around,

'Bring her"

The Aurors did so.

Harry finited the incarcerous, the petrificus, and she was pulled to her feet. She wavered, as he magic was suppressed with the manacles.

"You killed me, That pisses me off."

she attempted to speak, but he ignored her.

"I claim a Writ of Conquest against the pureblood House of Umbridge, I claim damages in the total of all goods, all monies, all holdings of any sort. Any slaves, vassals or elves are now free, all titles and honors are now declared null and void. I demand that every home, property, business, outhouse and shed be burned to the ground and the lands sold. I demand every penny owned by the minor pureblood clan of Umbridge be taken and given into the Victim's Reparation Fund to help the muggleborne and victims of Voldemort. So Mote it Be."

He gathered his magic into his muscles and strengthened his arms and fists,

he swung his fist backhand and hit her upside the head, snapping her neck. She fell to the floor, dead.

Harry left the Great Hall, followed by a retinue of his people.

Before he went, he reminded the prefects to take care of the Firsties, and left, with the Newest Gryffindor students following along.

The group, which included Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and a Sytherin or two slipped up to the Hidden tower that Harry had used for the previous year.

"How does it go, Mr Moody?"

"everyone is on alert, ready to go on your command, My greatest concern is that he Ministry is mostly empty now."

"Well, that should make it easier to take, and then in the morning, when the rest of the employees are arriving, take them as they arrive." "It's what 9 pm now, most people arrive at the Ministry between six and nine am, Take each department now , and set your people in place, waiting for their targets."

"But we don't know if the word will get out that the Ministry has been taken"

"Our people know how to maintain operational security"

Moody knew all this, he was just being a fretting old man.

"All departments checklist"

The checklist was developed by Moody and Quinn, with the help of Harry, Sirius and Mooney.

"Maps, check"

The maps were Mooney's project, He had created a Marauders map for the Ministry, floor by floor, a copy of which Arthur had in his office

There were versions of The Map for Diagon and Knockturn Alley, for Hogsmeade, for any place that they could think that an attack night come.

Sitting in front of the maps were five young ladies, Padma, Tracey, Lavender, Daphne and Hannah Abbot. It wasn't any surprise that every one of the ladies were members of the Smart Girls Corner.

Their job was to watch their map and track known Death Eaters, and targets, and communicate with the squads out there.

Their maps, in tactical mode showed friendlies in blue or green, and known marked DEs in red, and known collaborators or unmarked enemies in orange.

There was a growing database of names coming from the prisoners in the Chamber of Secrets.. when a name was named, it was added to a list. When that name was confirmed by another prisoner, it was moved up the list. There were many sub-lists. Each prisoner had a list of every known killing that they were involved in, every rape, torture, crime. This was to be the charges list.

The important list for the day was the list of targets.

The ladies were watching all known and frequented areas where magical people congregated.

Chief Magorian had a map of his own, which covered the entire Forbidden forest, as well as a set of 'fence' wards that watched over the borders of that locale. The Centaurs were taking their ownership of the forest seriously.

The next group to check in was the Ministry group, led by Percy and Arthur.

They had recruited a group of honest light sided people who were willing to fight for their rights, and each group had their assignments.

They had the tools for the job at ready, they had stun grenades, they had quite a few magic suppression manacles, which were to be used for the more recalcitrant prisoners.

The Ministry group was to be backed up by Wolfpack troops, and the non-magical troops were ready to step in where needed.

Quinn's contacts with the Royal Marines and Army had amassed over one hundred troops who knew of the magical world, and were willing to fight for their relatives. They were armed with riot gear, flash bombs, stun grenades, an assortment of Fred and George's creations set to go off on impact.

Several teams were ready to set up portable vanishing cabinets that would dump the stunned prisoners into the CoS prison, to be added to the ever growing collection of encapsulated Death Eaters.

Back in the tower, the ladies of the maps were sending quiet messages to various teams on the ground and a silent guerrilla war was being carried out in Diagon Alley, in Knockturn Alley, in Hogsmeade, in a variety of magical places across the country.

Every map watcher had two maps to watch, a major and a minor. Major, were high traffic areas, and minor were areas like the road to Hogwarts, peripheral areas where the enemy might gather.

Where things were heating up, more than one watcher watched.

"Prepare shutdown of all commerce."

Messages went out to the meat suppliers and greengrocers that the magical people of Britain used, and since the establishments were owned by Potter or Black, they were closed, leaving Magical Britain nowhere to buy food.

It has been said that any given country was three meals away from revolution.

"Media"

"Yes sir"

An assault team took The Daily Prophet and silenced the magical printing presses. Each and every worker, editor, press operator was taken into custody and questioned about loyalties and their relationships. Those who passed were allowed to wait in a break room, but not communicate with anyone.

Those found to be in tight with Death Eaters were captured and tossed into the waiting prison for questioning and further questioning.

A crew of honest people stepped into place to begin publishing The Howler on the command of their superiors, using the equipment of The Prophet.

The offices of The WWN were taken over and their transmitter disabled, and Radio Sunshine took over the airwaves, with eleven new channels. Various music, news sports and talk shows. Something for everyone.

WWN was closed because it's Death Eater connections, and the profits from that operation funding a few of the Death Eater families.

Rudy the DJ elf recruited several more elves who were conversant in the musical arts.

There was an odd team that came from the lost groups of elves, a female. Sara, who was proficient in the old elf songs, and history, but was blinded by her evil master.. She could play traditional instruments and sing, and her helpmate/bodyguard/friend Donk was good at beating on things, he would play a percussion track as counterpoint to Sara's songs.

Their show played every night after midnight and virtually every elf in the country made a point to listen, and remember, because Sara's songs recounted the ancient history of the elves.

Hermione heard of this and asked that the songs be written down and translated, because once she had realized the need for the elves to be bonded to be free, she had changed her method.

Dobby was recruiting every elf in the country and had lured a goodly number away from their masters to be freed. Harry did his part of the job and used Gryffindor's sword and the proper ritual to sever the links between each enslaved elf and their former masters, and Dobby and Winky , and a growing number of elves treated and nurtured the freed brethren.

Sara and Donk came to meet Dobby and once they were re-attached to the Earth as they were supposed top be, the health of the traveling couple improved greatly.

Sara joined the community as a music teacher and an instructor, and Donk worked with the freed elves. Nightly their musical concerts grew in popularity both amongst elves and humans.

Radio Sunshine broadcast 24 hours a day on all channels, and every newscast, the truth was sent out, history of various people and their plans, decisions, lies and deceit.

A history of the Magical Government was put forth, telling of the corruption and disingenuous ways of some people, and discussions were held daily about what was the best form of government, and why.

There was at least one Goblin broadcast telling of the true history of the Goblin wars, and insurrections, at least the conflict between the races.

Talk shows discussed fair treatment for all sentient beings and how the ways of communication could be better, Interviews with various races were heard, with Prince Javan and his bride, with Ragnok of the Goblins, with a few of the Centaurs, and even with the Giants of Etna, as they were fairly literate and had a society of elders to speak for them.

Harry asked Shala if she would speak over the radio broadcast, but she said for the moment, she would decline.

In the week after the initial assault on the Ministry, the personal history of many of the Death Eaters was broadcast with names and places, and this eroded what little support that was there for the dark lord.

Harry asked that he not be lionized or put up as an icon. One radio story told on every channel was 'the creation of 'The Boy Who Lived' mythos.

The creation of that tale was traced back totally to Albus of the many names Dumbledore, and quoted from memories and stories from The Daily Prophet, and other places, as well as from the series of books published about Harry and his family.

"This mythos is created out of assumption and hearsay, there is no proof of anything and we truly do not know what happened in Godric's Hollow that October night, and as such, we as honest Journalists cannot support the story of 'The Boy Who Lived.'

Rita came back from Norseland, her father's health was improved.. it seems both her mother and father's animagus forms were sea creatures, and her father had been out on his fishing trawler, and decided to take a swim one day, as a Walrus, and he had been bitten by an Orca.. there was much blood loss, and he ended up loosing a leg, but he did survive.

His wife, Rita's Mother was a Sea Lion, and between them they were able to still operate the fishing business.

During his convalescence, Rita changed her life. She cleaned up her act and worked at being a true journalist, and even changed her look.

The Wizarding World, being who they were, did not recognize Amorita Sketerson as being Rita Skeeter, it was as if Clark Kent and his thick glasses was an effective disguise.

The week before school started, Rita, now Amorita checked in with Harry and Co, and he immediately pointed her toward Radio Sunshine.. She took to it like the proverbial fish to water, she got interviews, she asked hard questions, she asked the questions no one wanted to answer, she seemed to know everything about everybody. This was a technological trick, however, she had some of the same tools that were being used by the Wolfpack, and had been beta tested by Harry during the third task. She had an ear bug, and a throat mic, and had someone working a database back at the office full time, someone who was watching over her for safety's sake.

Once back into the fold, she would be watched carefully for a few months to ascertain where her true loyalties lay, and eventually Harry would give her his entire dossier on her lurid past.

Once in hand, she methodically destroyed it and vanished the ashes,

Late that night the meeting was underway.

"Dumbledore wants me to be in his office directly after breakfast, he's going to notice when The Prophet doesn't arrive, and I don't know if he listens to WWN, but he might notice that as well."

Harry sighed.

"I think we may have to do a preemptive strike..

Sirius, Mooney, any ideas?"

"I think we need to take Dumbldore out of the equation.."

Sirius was dark , saying this.

"It strikes me that he is acting just as dark as a Dark Lord would.. and his influence is on the 'good guys'. We are being used for his ends, and I for one am tired of being used as a pawn."

He sat back and growled.

"I already spent too many years in Azkaban because he sent me there."

They had all heard this rant from Sirius before.

"I hate to say it, but I think that Dumbledore is senile, or maybe suffering dementia."

This from Mooney

Harry looked around at his inner circle. Sirius, Mooney, Alastor Moody, Jake Granger,

Xeno Lovegood, Andy Tonks, Bill and Arthur Weasley, and of course, Hermione.

He rubbed his now unmarked forehead.

"Anyone else?"

Jake spoke.

"You are using guerrilla warfare, taking away the enemy's assets, his troops, his money, his support structure.. does anyone here think that an attack by this Riddle imminent?"

The general consensus was no.. and some of this had been confirmed by Snape's interrogation.

It turns out that Snape was the hidden potions master who had orchestrated Voldemort's revival and the ritual making it happen.

The latest report from Snape said that Voldemort was still recovering from the Dragon fire incident at his ritual.. here it was almost three months later and he still had not led any attacks, but he had sent out his troops on some missions. Based on a three day old report, they decided that the threat from Riddle directly was minimal.

"So how do we take out Dumbledore, since he is as much a danger to us as Riddle is."

Xeno Lovegood spoke.

Dumbledore's reputation as the lion of the light is mostly fabrication.. I have been gathering evidence of this for years, if he knew I had that file, he would have a fit.. I could literally write a book about his dealings." "Much of his power comes from his defeat of Gellert Grindewold, who rose to power once he acquired the Elder Wand.. Grindewold was a searcher for The Hallows as well as Dumbledore was, and the both of them were blood purists." "Now, Dumbledore is seen as a 'muggle lover', but this is not really true, he sees muggles and mundane born mages as pawns to be manipulated, for whatever purpose."

"He had two of the Hallows in his hands until 1991, when he turned the invisibility cloak back over to you, Harry, I suppose he thinks he still controls the item, but we know better."

there was general laughter around the table.

"If I recall correctly, William, You and Harry have retrieved a ring which held a fragment?"

Bill nodded . Harry andI searched the Gaunt Cottage and found it, under parseltongue wards.. I am very glad I did not try to do anything there myself, as I or whoever tried to break those wards would have died painfully in only hours if not minutes."

Xeno nodded sagely. "So, right now, you, Lord Harry James Potter, of the MOST Ancient and Noble House of Potter own two of the Hallows, one of which is from one of your direct ancestors, correct?"

Harry nodded.

He pulled the ring out of his bag and laid it on the table in front of him.

Xeno cast a very special detection charm, and got verification that it indeed was one of the Hallows.

"The ring is not, but the stone is.. I see you were also able to remove the soul fragment."

"That's right, I was... on the other side this evening, and I took advantage of the situation, and dropped off everything I had of Tom.." as he was speaking he pulled out the Diadem, the book, Slytherin's locket. "I checked out Ginny while I was still on the other side and saw a small bit of him still inhabiting her .. mind, so I took it also, Hermione says she felt better, how did she put it?" he looked at his girlfriend.

"She said that she felt as if someone had uncorked her bottle.. it sounds rather personal, I think" she grimaced.

they all laughed out loud at this.

"Well, I for one, have a lot of respect for Neville.. he may be a dead man by now, but what a way to go.." Harry tried to keep a straight face, but failed.

"Oi, that's my little sister guys.." Bill said it with a grin on his face.

They sobered.

"What to do with the old man?"  
Xeno continued.

"The simplest thing is to acquire the third Hallow.. the wand. With it, he has immense power, magically, physically, and politically." "Without it , his health would probably not be as good as it is now, and I suspect, that although he is a very good dueler, he probably isn't as good as he thinks without the wand."

"So it's a power-up?" They all looked at Harry. "It's a game term, my cousin plays video games, and in the game sometimes you get overpowered weapons, healing potions and the like."

Xeno nodded. "Exactly, it's a 'power-up' of sorts.. that is why the thing has been searched for by so many people for so long."

"So this is a video game?"

Jake looked at the man with an amazed expression.

"you're serious?"

Harry nodded.

Sirius started to say something but Lupin smacked his shoulder and about knocked him over.

Hermione spoke up.

"Harry has exceptional hand-eye coordination, I suspect he could play just about any game without much effort.. I saw him trying out some musical instruments he had never tried and picked it up without much problem.."

"So what you need to do, is put the old man in a situation where he points the wand at you, and you grab it before he can hex you." Xeno explained.

"Why?"

"You have to 'win it' from him.. if he handed it to you without a fight, it would not work, you have to be the victor over him."

"Hmm, so Sun Tzu say that I should choose the battlefield, and thus control the battle."

"so, when is one the most vulnerable in the average day?"

"Easy, when I wake up, that's how Crouch got me.." Moody growled.

"So, we get into his bedchamber, wake him up and take the wand."

"Impossible, can't be done, I am sure he has all manner of wards up on his private space".

Harry grinned at this.

"I think not"

He reached in his bag and pulled out a familiar piece of parchment and laid it on the table.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good"

The lines appeared on the map, along with hundreds of dots and names.

"Here, look at the Headmaster's quarters."

they gathered around and looked where Harry was pointing.

"How did you do that?, we didn't know about this!"

"I explored and added them to the maps database."

Lupin and Black nodded sagely.

"It took us almost two years to get it to the point where it was when you got it."

"I'm a parseltongue, well, dragontongue, actually, I added the Chamber entrances to the map also."

"Is that wise?"

"Sure, why not. This map is not leaving Potter hands, unless of course you two have kids who need it.."

The two marauders blanched at the thought...being a parent.

"So, how long before we need to leave, pup?"

"Couple hours, I think. He usually gets up around 6.."

"As you say, you and me, and Mooney for backup"

All right.. Any other business?"

"The floo is down to Hogwarts, so no one can call him, and warn him without our knowledge,

the elves are redirecting the post owls heading toward his office, so that should be covered"

Hermione asked.

"How's Dobby doing with the House Elves?"

Dobby appeared with a silent pop.

"I have freed three quarters of all house elves in the UK, and if Lord Harry continues with cutting the bonds a fifty a night, they will all be re-bonded with the earth mother, as they should be."

"And he last quarter?"

"They must be freed one at a time, and some do not want to be freed, they loves their families, or are scared of the change.. it is a big thing you know"

"I see. As long as they know they have the open offer of being freed, I suppose it is their decision."

"What of the Listeners?"

Harry asked. He recalled hearing of The listeners on his first day at Potter's Keep.

"The listeners are at their task but we have literally years worth of conversations to listen to, it's overwhelming."

"What we need is a faster way to skim through conversations and listen for keywords that flag important things, it may be slow at first, but will get better with time, and a base of information created.

Hermione spoke of things she had read about, Boolean logic and fuzzy math.

The ideas she had read about excited her and she couldn't wait to apply some of the things she had read to her arithmancy and spell creation exercises.

Harry nodded and left her to it.

"The sooner we see these in place the sooner we can get the information we need. Is there someone in the mathematical field who can move these theories along?"

those who were familiar with the field of Arithmancy hemmed and hawed for a bit and Harry dismissed the problem.

"Find someone who can work on it and hire them."

"Anything else?"

Moody spoke.

"History tells us that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, so Quinn and I have hired some backup, we have a battalion of Auror Mercenaries from various countries around the world, on standby, they are currently residing in Bristol and Devon Counties and will jump to wherever they are needed"

"Have they trained with our men?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, they have combined with the Wolfpack units on several operations."

Mooney answered.

Arthur nodded in satisfaction. Percy was overseeing the quiet assimilation of the Ministry.

"How many hours to lock down?"

"We plan of sealing The Ministry building at 9:30 tomorrow morning, by then everyone should be at work."

"Keep a couple people outside the Ministry building so that if anyone tries to get out or in by way of stairs or the phone booth, you can catch them."

"Good idea, boyo, that's using your head."

Harry rolled his eyes at the comment by Moody, even if it was true.

He stood and headed toward the hidden door that went down to Gryffindor Tower and common room.

"Ladies, remember, to keep your eyes open and don't wear yourself out, two hour shifts. We will make sure you are covered in your houses." The watchers nodded from their posts.

"Where are you going Harry?"

"I need to meditate, I need to get my head together."

Harry went down the stairs out of sight. Hermione was close behind.

Lavender whispered to Parvati. "More like getting his head together with Hermione" Parvati giggled and whispered back "which head?"

Lavender giggled as well.

Minerva McGonnegal was flustered and between minds what to do.. She was furious with Albus Dumbledore for his inaction in helping her young lion with that despicable woman, and knowing the list of compulsions and charms he had put on her over the years, which Harry had removed during the Yule break the previous year.

Minerva had trod very carefully and never let herself be alone with the Headmaster, and checked herself regularly for any odd memories or lack of memories.

She had followed her lions path of backing up her memories as they had, that is until they had learned occlumency, and could fend off the obliviations and sneaky charms the Headmaster had put on them.

Looking back, it seemed that Harry and Hermione had managed to avoid notice for the previous six months. It had something to do with a hidden place they had used for the Tri-Wizard-Tournament the previous year. Minerva, as Head of Gryffindor house vaguely knew about the hidden tower, and as such did not tell anyone about it, and only a true Gryffindor could use the facilities without some kind of backlash.

She cleared her mind and marched into the common room, and several of her students were there working and talking and generally doing as they always did. They looked shocked at her appearance in their midst, wondering if someone was in trouble

"Mr Potter?"

Neville and Ginny pointed toward the tapestry on the wall which showed Godric Gryffindor with his sword drawn, and a dragon looking over his shoulder.

She marched toward the tapestry and it drew itself aside to let her pass.

She went up the stairs and on the way up glanced aside into the ritual chamber that Harry used to meditate.

There in the middle of the floor, he sat cross-legged, and Hermione was curled up in his lap, her head upon his shoulder. His arms were around her holding her closely to his chest and her arms were loosely around his neck.

They both had their eyes closed , and were breathing very slowly. She was about to step into the chamber, but a voice in her mind stopped her.

Shala.

"Do not disturb them.

They are integrating memories

gleaned from much study."

"Who?"

"I am Shala.."

Minerva got a flash image of a large and dangerous dragon.

"I see, well I suppose they are using the chamber for it's proper use, then."

She withdrew and continued up the stairs to the tower room.

She took it all in before she was noticed.

The maps with the ladies sitting in front of them whispering into... small mirrors?

Alastor Moody, the real one, speaking with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, their own maps and documents spread over the tables. On the wall a huge set of boards with names, the list growing longer by the minute, some names in red, some in orange, some in green. She looked at the list. Every name she recognized in red had one common thing. They were all Death Eaters or had been suspected as such.

The Orange names were more questionable.. by looking at the names, though she decided that they were unmarked supporters of Voldemort, as beside each name was a list of things they had done to fight against the light.

There at the head of the list in Green was Augusta Longbottom, so she decided that this must be the list of light sided supporters. Following Mrs Longbottom was Andromeda and Ted Tonks, and a list of other names.

She stood unnoticed for almost a minute watching when Sirius Black suddenly noticed she was watching him.

"Hello Professor, are you here to take points off us?"

"I don't think I can, but I may have you serve detention...Explain to me what is going on here in Godric's rooms."

He extended his arm to her. "Let me give you the five knut tour."

he led her over to the maps where the young ladies were watching various places and speaking into their micro-mirrophones.

"After today's incident with Umbridge, we, that is Harry decided that enough is enough, and set into motion plans we have been making for the last several months."

She glared at him, actually somewhat embarrassed at her own actions at the opening feast.

"What kind of plans have you been making?"

"Well, we are capturing Death Eaters and taking them out of the fight, if they are not there to help Voldemort, then they can't hurt us."

"Are you killing them or what?"

"No, they are being imprisoned, interrogated and their magic bound. Every marked Death Eater is a murderer, but Harry demands that they get a fair trial and justice, Myself, I would just kill them on the spot for having that mark."

McGonnegal peered at the man over her glasses.

"Here, I'll walk you through the process."

They stepped to a spot behind the watchers and their maps.

"Each map shows an area that is frequented by magic users, here's Diagon Alley South here's north, here's Knockturn and some of the small bits back in there.."

She looked at he maps with moving dots, some red, some orange, some blue.. In Knockturn Alley there was a gathering of red dots, mostly at a pub owned by one of those red dots.

The red dots each had names attached to them, but the blue dots did not, The Blue had squad numbers

4-1, 4-2, 4-3 etc. Minerva heard her witches talking to the dots.

"4-2, ten yards in front of you, just behind that bush is Enemy, don't let him see you. He's heading south.."

Minerva spotted the points on the map as Lavender spoke to her charge.

The Red dot marked Enemy suddenly was jerked back into a hidden space between two buildings and then was gone.

"Did your man kill him?"

"Nope, next step, slap them with a portkey, a very special portkey."

"Follow me, please."

She found herself standing in front of a bank of mirrors, and they were in order.

The first showed an iris like portal that was surrounded by ivy. It opened and a whirl of light popped through the open hole. The iris closed, and Sirius pointed at the next mirror. A shape, a human body fell through a set of rings which separated the body from all clothing, wands, tools, everything, as well as flashing red, and stunning the falling party one more time.

The unconscious Death Eater then landed on an empty bluish sphere, and oozed through the surface, like a hammerhead through a bowl of Jello

The next mirror showed a stream of data, name, age, rank, everything known about the prisoner. The bluish sphere then rolled down a ramp, going faster as it went, the prisoner inside was floating in the center of said sphere, but rolling along like some demented child's toy, and was followed by a floating sealed container two feet on a side, bearing the clothes and effects of that prisoner.

The sphere entered a great room, and followed a channel on the floor, which eventually deposited the rolling prison in a line of blue spheres almost a hundred long, each and every one holding a prisoner.

"So there we have our prisoners captured, helpless, unable to do any magic, having no wand, tools, potions, portkeys, anything.. the sorting ring will even remove tooth portkeys without any problem. "

"The boxes contain everything the DE had with them to be used as evidence."

"This all looked efficient and well thought out, Whoever designed it must be a master at his craft"

"It's all Harry, he did most of it himself, a bit of help here and there from Hermione, I guess. Mooney and I made the maps. And the mirrors here on this end..The twins thought up the spheres and the potions and things going along with that, plus, they have created and modified some of the potions we use."

Minerva was shocked. Her fourth year/almost fifth years did this?"

"I know what you are thinking Minnie, how?".. well the short version is this, at least what Harry has told me. His Dragon has straightened out his mind, and he doesn't have to read something but once, and he remembers it forever, and he doesn't sleep anymore either.. you saw him in the chamber there?"

She nodded.

"He wasn't sleeping, you cannot sneak up on him, he is hyper-aware of things, and very protective of his girlfriend.."

"I see.. I think."

"He is 'meditating' down there, working on integrating things he read and learned today into his overall knowledge, I swear, Either of them could pass their NEWTS today if they wanted to.. mastery, even."

Minerva looked as if she wanted to ask something, but decided not to do so..

"Show me the rest, please."

"As you wish, Professor.. See this mirror, this is an overview of the Chamber of Secrets, where the prison is.. look over there, see he snake?"

She gasped at how big it was, even partially broken down into parts.

People , no, Goblins were working around the creature rendering it into smaller parts and hauling it away somewhere.

"That boy.." she muttered.

"Look here, all the people around the prisoners, they are tending to them, making sure they will live to be judged, potions, nutrition, water all go in, nothing can come out except by way of a password that only one person here can use.. inside the sphere, we control gravity, air, water, magic of all sorts, what they see and hear, if we want them deprived of light and sound and feeling, just adjust the settings, if we want them buffeted by storms and rain, lightning, just adjust the settings.. it's all in how you believe."

He grinned.

"We have a series of questions that are asked, over and over again, in different ways, the answers are collated here on the big board.. the first question is 'are you a Death Eater?", we ask who they killed to take the dark mark, we ask who they know to be Death Eaters, marked or unmarked, what are the crimes they themselves have committed, what crimes the others have committed, all under the potion inducement of veritaserum and compulsions to speak all the truth.."

Minerva nodded. "Very thorough"

Sirius nodded in agreement.

"Tomorrow will be the big test though, tomorrow morning we take the Ministry."

"What is this.. contraption..?" she indicated a birdcage affair siting over in a corner, three meters across and four tall. Sirius led his Professor toward the cage, and the bars separated themselves so they could walk into the cage. They passed through and the bars closed, making an even spacing all around.

Sirius spoke. "Centaur Village"

from their viewpoint, reality turned at a right angle, and they were elsewhere.

McGonnegal looked out, and saw a village of huts, a fire burning in front of several, Centaurs going about their daily business.

"Quite the sight, huh?." Sirius pointed out the village. "They cannot see us, the front of this cave is under a fidelius, and none of them can see it except Magorian."

"What we came to see is this way, however." He pushed a button, a rune, actually and the wall opened, revealing a long sloping tunnel going down. On the left, a queue of empty blue spheres, waiting to be used. Every few seconds, the ceiling of the tunnel opened and another body fell through the hole, hitting a sphere, and being absorbed.

As the body had come in, she had seen flashes of light, indicating spells had been used above their heads. The sphere began to roll down the ramp, slowly at first, and then quicker. As it passed through a series of three metallic rings, each ring flashed it's own specific charm. Sirius waved his hand and a cart pulled up, somewhat like a golf cart. He seated his elder and they rolled down a path parallel to the sphere's path.. While they were descending the ramp. A few more spheres passed them on to their destination. In each was a human figure, and each sphere was followed by a box, as if it were a faithful puppy or something.

"The rings?"

"Neutralizing any portkeys, traps, charms.. don't get too close, the things tend to put out arcs of power, very uncomfortable." Sirius shuddered. As they passed a ring, a lightning bolt of gold and blue followed up and around to the top, its end grounding out to the rock of the tunnel.

They reached the end of the ramp, and leveled out into a large chamber, which she realized must be the Chamber of Secrets. At the far end was a large monkey-like face, with it's mouth open. There was a sea of blue spheres, each holding a prisoner. People and elves moved about, doing their jobs.

Her eye was drawn to the huge snake being rendered. Sirius drove the golf cart over to the working area, and they just sat, stunned at the beast.

"It still makes me cringe, thinking my Godson fought that when he was twelve.."

"Minerva was speechless. A goblin came over and spoke.

"Please Lord Black, you must back up, for safeties sake, you understand." Sirius gave a short bow of his head,

"As you say, Master Goblin" He turned to drive away as the goblin spoke.

"Good evening to you, Lady McGonnegal, Lord Black"

Sirius drove them up the main aisle and parked at the mouth of the great stone face.

"Here we have the headquarters of the information services, and prisoner holding facilities"

He got out and took her hand, and she stepped out of the cart.

They took the tour, nd she saw the prisoners close up. She recognized most of them, as she had been a teacher for at the least fifty years..there were foreigners in the mix. Each sphere was labeled with names, and data. Each sealed box had clothes, wands, pocket debris, everything needed to convict.

Harry sat cross-legged in the center of the ritual circle, the runes surrounding him.. only a few were activated, one for time slowing and one for comfort. When time was slowed, everything was colder, as the molecules of the air and his body moved slower.. so from the outside, in the chamber was warm.

Hermione was cuddled in his lap, her head laying on his shoulder, her arms loosely around his neck as she nuzzled him. His arms held her in place , just savoring the smell and warmth of her body.

From the outside their eyes were closed and they did not move, but inside their minds a lively bit of going on was going on.

It had started out as Harry meditation on things, getting his daily memories in order and backed up in his infinite room of file cabinets. They walked hand in hand as they perused the repair being done to the area where the accidental horcrux had been seated.

There was a crew of Harrys all working, cleaning up, repairing the damage and setting up more file cabinets..

far overhead, some mobile infantry flew over watching for intruders..spiders walked up and down the walls of drawers filing things, all in all a fascinating sight.

In a virtual space behind their minds, the young couple was holding each other intimately, there was little between them, little but thin silk.

They had not yet become intimate, not for lack of desire, but out of sheer lack of time.

There were classes to get on with, daily exercise and training regimen, weapons handling, study time, lab time, time for just eating and being with their friends and family.. then there was the desire for their first time to be special, not hurriedly rushed in a quickly locked room.

It was a terribly embarrassing thing, but Hermione took it upon herself to address the issue.

"I want to be intimate with you, Harry, love, I want you to be my first and only, but I am a bit nervous about going too fast too soon.. I have talked to my Mum about this, and she advised that we set ourselves at a slow pace, up to and not beyond before a certain date, that means, I will allow you to touch me here.. through here, but not more before my seventeenth birthday.. after that, I am considered an adult, and can do what I wish.. and in the UK, Sixteen is considered the age of consent.. "

Harry took this in calmly, his ever growing occlumency skills made it possible for his calmness.

Somewhere deep inside here was a bit of him jumping up and down, cheering.

He waited until she was finished.

"Well, how about this.. we keep our physical selves to a minimum.. but try out some things in here.." He drew his finger up her abdomen and across the bottom of her breast, his thumb tweaking a nipple. He drew her into a kiss, and she melted into his arms..

His hands moved slowly and smoothly down and encircled her waist, his thumbs on the hump of her hip bones.

He effortlessly lifted her up, (as this was his mind, and you can do anything you want in your mind.)

And he placed her with her legs straddling his hips. He seated her firmly, where she could feel his growing desire.

He pulled her into a deep kiss, their selves merging, her arms holding him closely, . He leaned back and nibbled his way down her chin and neck, He used his tongue to caress the tilde of her collarbones.

~\/~

She kissed his face and forehead as his tongue addressed her hardening nipples.

She leaned back and ground her damp center into his hard arousal.

She paused and looked him in the eyes. She lifted up and slipped down over his waiting shaft.

She twitched a bit and held still.. "First time always hurts a bit..so I've read"

He leaned back and waited for her, feeling her heat, and the pulsing of her heart.

"Wait"

"Why?"

his mind showed her the head of Minerva McGonnegal peering into the chamber where their physical counterparts were still, not moving or in any compromising position.

McGonnegal left, her footsteps going up the stairs to the war room.

In their virtual mind space, Harry and Hermione consummated their physical relationship, and explored the limits of that relationship. While outside nothing was evident, or visible.

Sirius and Minerva had returned to the War room after her visit to the Chamber of Secrets.

Sirius was showing Minerva McGonnegal around, showing her the process by which they were fighting the war.

They stood back and looked at every step of the way, the mirrors showing the capture of prisoners, the data being collected and examined, The prisoners deep below the Castle being interrogated,

"What does this do to beat..him?"

McGonnegal made Sirius feel as if he were still a student.

"Every Death Eater we take out of circulation takes away a bit of magic from him.. the dark mark is where he draws his followers magic and keeps himself alive."

they are all under magic suppression wards, not top mention they are literally a thousand feet underground, he cannot access their magic." he grinned

"Secondly, the Goblins are allied with our cause, since we are going to endorse certain rights for them, as well as share with them certain business opportunities."

"And what do you get out of the Goblins?"

"They are freezing all Death Eater accounts under any name, and once the war tribunal starts, most of those will be seized."

"Seized by whom?" she peered at the Marauder

"Harry has declared that all seized funds will go to a victims reparation fund, that has to be managed by people who must take an oath to be completely honest and fair.. that way no one can steal the funds and they will go to the victims."

"Mr Potter always did have a sense of fair play.. I am impressed."

Sirius nodded.

"He's very much like his mother.. she would forgive and forgive and work for your rights, but if you showed bad faith, or crossed someone she deemed innocent.."

Minerva nodded, she recalled her favorite student of that generation.

The adults turned as Harry and Hermione came up the stairs and entered the War Room.

The couple was the center of attention, and people waited until he spoke.

Minerva spoke first.

"Well, Mr Potter.. Harry, you are turning the wizarding world upside down..what do you want me to do?"

Harry took Hermione's hand.

"Professor, Tomorrow morning, the Ministry will fall,

Tomorrow morning there is a good chance Voldemort will be dead.

Tomorrow Morning the magical world, at least in the UK will suffer a shake-up like never seen before.

Tomorrow morning, you will need to take on the reins of the Headmistress,

for Tomorrow Morning, Albus Dumbledore will die, one way or another."

"I see, For the most part, I run the school anyway, so that's not going to be a problem.. if I run the school, there will be some personnel changes and new classes, but why will Albus die tomorrow?"

everyone was silent, waiting for the answer.

"Because, Albus Dumbledore is directly responsible for the deaths .. no, murders of my parents."

end. Ch 19

added 2k words to clarify a few things and do the setup for Ch 20.

TimW


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The morning sky turned from dark gray to lighter blue-gray, and the hint of orange on the eastern horizon.

Silently a long hidden door opened and two figures entered the bedchamber, and made themselves comfortable, waiting for the sleeping Headmaster to awaken.

Minerva McGonnegal was working, writing lists, making decisions, getting prepared for the day ahead. In this respect, she was very much like Hermione, when she could, she made sure she was prepared for what was to come.

In the kitchens, Dobby and his newly freed followers had stopped some of the last of the undelivered elves from going to wake the headmaster with his morning tea.

"Young friend, your loyalty to the school's headmaster is admirable, but I cannot let you go and disturb him at this point in time."

Dobby was tall, compared to the average elf, his blond hair highlighted the bronze color of his skin, and his power was enough to make any elf under his command pause. They instinctively obeyed, for Dobby was their leader, their King. Dobby would have been that position whether he had been first freed from the ancient curse, or the last.. Dobby had the heart and soul of a leader, of a King.

The elf in question bowed slightly.

"Dippy obeys Master"

"Good. Now then, tell me what the Headmaster has had you doing for him"

"Dippy obeys."

The sun flowed across the towers of the castle and down the sides, leaking into windows and arches, lighting up sleeping chambers, and waking the day owls, many of whom went to pick up their morning deliveries.

The distribution offices of The Daily Prophet were quite busy, except the banner on the head of the newspaper being delivered no longer said 'The Daily Prophet', but rather 'The Howler'

The headline blared out 'Murder at Hogwarts', followed by a picture of the former Undersecretary to Minister Fudge casting a killing curse, and the next picture showed the curse impacting Harry Potter, causing him to fall dead to the floor of the Great Hall.

The text surrounding the photos told a story that was completely true and without any editorial deflection or opinion. It went on to say who did what, where and if it could be ascertained, why.

Below the fold, the story continued and showed Harry rise from the dead, and how he took his revenge on his attackers.

The second page had other articles in context, reminding people of where Harry was placed in their society, being the Head of and only remaining member of the oldest recorded line of magical families, as well as some of the things he had the rights to do as that Head.

There was almost two inches of information as to the dismissal of Malfoy as an ancient family, Harry's declaration of the non-existence of the name Malfoy and the loss of all their properties, money, titles, everything.

Harry did make a mistake there, it would eventually be revealed.

Never humiliate an enemy, take away everything he has to live for, and let him live..all you have done is created an enemy who has nothing to lose.

An article on the third page spoke of the disappearances of many people from the wizarding world, and speculated on what was happening. It was also pointed out that every name that could be ascertained as one of the missing, every single one had been suspected or was known to be a Death Eater. The article speculated that it could be one of two things, someone taking out the criminal element in an effort to stop suspected terrorists, of conversely, the 'dark lord' Tom Riddle who called himself Voldemort was gathering his forces.

This copy of the new newspaper would be widely discussed and argued over, that is until the second issue was delivered the next day.

Few knew, but Madam Pince made sure that every issue was collected and bound into a large book, which would be studied for years in the future.

In many homes, manors and residences across the UK, people were angry.

Their elves had disappeared, there was no food on the table and no one in the household was inclined or capable to cook for themselves.

Albus Dumbledore woke with a start, his heart racing.

He struggled to sit up and see what was going on, to realize two figures were sitting beside his bed, one on each side. He quickly, well as quickly as an old wizard who had just woken up could be, he quickly whipped out his wand and pointed it toward the more powerful of the two figures, his magic sensing the greater threat. Before he could utter any spell, hex, curse or incantation, the figure reached out and snatched the wand from his hand, and made it disappear from sight.

Harry leaned into the light streaming from the window and a nimbus of sunlight made his face glow with power.

"Good morning Headmaster, we are here for our morning meeting."

Albus gasped out and tried to answer, but was having some trouble on that count, for the taking of The Elder Wand from his control had an effect on him. He had 'owned' the wand for close to fifty years, since he had taken it from Gellert Grindewold, his friend, lover and accomplice in their attempt to take complete control of the wizarding world.

His 'defeat' of the 'dark wizard' had placed him in a very good light, politically, and with a few tweaks of public opinion, a few obliviations, a minor killing or two, and he was know as the 'leader of the light'.

The sudden removal of that wand from his grasp and his control had a severe effect on his magic, in that it ripped most of that magic from him, and gathered in a nimbus around the victor, in this case, Harry.

Harry kept his cool, his repeated backups of his mind had created a number of avatars in his mind, and the sudden influx of power did not have the usual effect, of knocking out the receiver, but being evenly distributed among the many 'selves'.

Each of these images received a few percent of that power, that magical potential. If Harry had been of a single mind, all of the magical potential gathered up at once would have put him out of commission for several hours, and possibly made him susceptible to attack.

As it is, he was unhinged for almost three seconds.

Sirius looked worried

"What is it Harry?"

"Manageable.. give me a minute"

Harry grunted this out. Sirius turned his attention to the Headmaster.

Dumbledore wheezed out. "Why?"

Sirius spoke.

"Because your continued manipulation of The Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, Because your direct responsibility for the deaths of my brother James and his wife Lily, for your plan to make Harry a martyr for your great name, for the fact you are a lying sadistic old man who doesn't deserve the life you have lived, on the backs of the innocent, and for your creation of the current Dark Lord, Tom Riddle."

"The blood of innocents is on your hands, old man, and when you get to the other side, James and Lily will be waiting, as well as all those whom you have wronged in the name of your Greater Good."

"That includes your silence in my innocence and you leaving me in Azkaban for twelve years."

Sirius looked to Harry who by this time was feeling more in control.

"You have anything, Pup?"

"Yes, for your interference in my life, for your attempt to betroth me to my friend Ginny against my will,, and hers, for your interference between my beloved and myself, I take satisfaction in your leaving this mortal realm."

he took a breath

"I take no pleasure in killing someone, but if it is to protect my family, and by all the gods and magic I declare that Hermione is my family, I would kill you or anyone without a thought."

He held up the liberated wand, "I have this now, I now own all three of the Deathly Hallows, yes, Headmaster, all of them. I now have to destroy two more of Tom's Horcruxes and then I can kill your bastard son."

"By the way, thanks for keeping me in the dark for these years, not telling me the prophecy, not telling me about Tom Riddle, not giving me any training, expecting me to be your obedient lapdog.. well, headmaster, this dog don't jump."

Harry stood and put the wand away.

"Before you go to your reward, just let me assure you that I will be telling the truth about your lies and plots, every one I can find out about, and whatever you have hidden will be found out.. I know about your summers on Fire Island, with fifty years of Head Boy polyjuice, I know about what you did to your sister, I know about the things you did with Grindewold in

the name of blood purity.. too bad your name will go down in history, just not in the manner in which you would like it to."

What was left of the old man deflated as his will to live seeped out of him.

In short order there was little left of his mind, as the stress had ruptured a main artery and his brain shut down, since his autonomic brain function no longer supported breathing or a heartbeat.

His magic had fled and he was just a very very old man.

The two men looked around the headmaster's private quarters.

"Dobby"

the Elvin leader appeared.

"Could you get some of your people to come in here and copy all these books and file them in our archives, leave the copies here, take the originals."

Dobby called several of his elf squads and they set about the task.

"All paperwork, hidden things, artifacts, anything of value that is not direct property of the school"

Dobby was looking over some objects on shelves, beautiful artifacts, laced with power and potential.

"Many of these are property of House Potter"

"I see, well take it all, I want back what belongs to my family, and I suspect many of the things he has here are not his either.

"Hey Pup, remember this?"

Harry turned and saw Sirius holding up a gold chain with an hourglass on the end.

"Hmm, looks like a useful tool to have, good one, Siri, we need to get back an hour ago and go to breakfast, not be here."

on a whim, Harry activated the Marauders map. "See, we are sitting in the Great Hall right now..This has made me hungry, and I need breakfast. And we have a big day ahead of us."

He stood and went to the open door in the wall of the Headmaster's private quarters, followed by Sirius. Dobby and his crew popped out, and the room was silent, and looked exactly like it had when they arrived, except for the fact, that the old man in the bed was now dead..the room was silent, silent as a tomb.

The hidden door closed and the two men walked down the tubes in the walls of the castle, all the way down to the Chamber of Secrets, for those tubes were how the snake had gotten around in his second year.

It seemed that Salazar Slytherin had put hidden passageways throughout the school so go could appear wherever he wanted without being seen.

Harry had installed a door of his own the previous year and explored the tunnels, and found doors into most areas of the school, every common room, every Head of House office, the infirmary, the great hall. The only places the tunnels did not go were where new construction had taken place after 1100 AD. The truth was, Salazar had not been driven away, or disappeared, he lived out his life in the castle and he had died in the castle.

His bones were interred in a stone chamber hidden from view, placed there by a loyal friend, who sealed the chamber and walked out the door, never to return.

Alphonse Potter.

Salazar Slytherin's great great grandson.

Some years later Harry would come across the journal of his ancestor and find the notation along with the passwords to get access. Parsel passwords.

That Harry would leave well enough alone, content in the fact that the tomb was still sealed, and that was enough.

Harry and Sirius appeared in the tower room an hour before, and they went to the Great Hall for breakfast. Sirius sat at the Head Table with Professor McGonnegal and Sprout, Harry sat with Hermione, Ginny and Neville.

Ron came in and sat down, a few spaces down the table, next to Seamus and Dean, receiving a glare from Ginny that made him shudder to think what she was going to do to him.

McGonnegal and Sirius were talking and the Professor stopped, and visibly shuddered.

"What is it Minerva?" Sprout asked. "Something happened.. the wards around the school.." she suddenly looked serious.

"Dibby"

the elf popped in.

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Check on the Headmaster, see if he is all right"

"Yes Mistress"

The elf popped away, they were all used to this elf around the Headmaster as he was the Headmaster's personal valet and assistant.

Less than a minute later the elf was back.

"Headmaster Albie is not breathing. No magic either."

Minerva covered her face with her hand as she bowed her head, seeming as if she had a bad headache.

"Thank you Dippy, please notify Madam Pomfrey."

she lifted her face and asked Sirius.

"Do you have that clever mirror of yours with you?" he nodded. "Please get me one as soon as you can, I need to be in touch easier..May I?"

He handed her the device and she called Amelia Bones.

"Amy, good to see you, I need you in your official capacity."

"What is it Minnie?"

Albus is dead, I need your Medical Examiner here to ascertain time of death, which was four minutes ago, by my watch."

"How do you know?"

"I felt the school wards attach themselves to me, I now control the school."

"I see, well, I will get him there as soon as I can, but we are having a bit of a bustle here at the Ministry.."

"Oh, really?, what's going on?"

A coup, the King has authorized a takeover of the government, too much corruption. I myself intend to sit in my office and wait for them to come to me."

"Don't worry Amy, you won't be harmed, I am sure"

"Glad you think so, I will get Healer Ducky there as soon as I can, Have Poppy put a stasis charm on the body and the possible crime scene, a little too convenient, you know."

"Yes, indeed. Thank you Amy."

She handed the mirror back to Sirius.

He took his water goblet and emptied it out, and transfigured the goblet into a replica of his own mirror, he laid the new mirror on top of the original and did some clever charm work, including some silent casting, and then handed the new, improved mirror to the new headmistress.

"There you go, a third generation mirror, as good as mine is, the only ones better are those owned by Harry and Hermione.. if you want yours upgraded, you have to talk to them."

"I will., in fact I want to see every student with one of these as well as every staff member, it is too convenient not to have, from what I have seen."

"You don't know the half of it, Minnie, these will do amazing things,

Professor Sprout, do you have a mirror yet?"

"Yes, Neville asked the Potters to make me one, that young man will go far."

yes, both of them will, Neville is quite clever, and strong as an ox, I did some sparring with him this summer, he took me down more than once."

"Really?." both professors were amazed

"Yes, he learned it from Harry, how to channel his magic, that and a new wand, he is every bit as powerful as Frank was."

Minerva was making several mirror calls to many people, lining up all her soldiers in a row.

She had a checklist she was going down, Sprout recognized some of the names on the list.

"You knew about this beforehand, didn't you?" she whispered to McGonnegal.

Minerva looked sharply at the Hufflepuff Head and nodded ever so slightly.

"There's going to be quite a shakeup here at Hogwarts, not to mention the Ministry.. all we can do is ride it out and hope for the best"

Sprout nodded. "What about the Board of Governors?"

"Doesn't really matter, I have the heads of the four founders families here this year."

"Who?"

Mr Potter is a descendant of Godric, as well as Salazar, Miss Bones is a descendant of Hufflepuff, and Miss Lovegood is of the Ravenclaw line."

"will they cooperate?"

"It's me cooperating with them, not the other way around.. last night, very late, I had a delivery of several lists of names, instructors to replace several we are missing and enhance those we already have.. don't worry, your job is safe.."

"I might surprise you Minnie, as soon as Mr Longbottom gets his mastery in Herbology, I am retiring"

Minerva looked up sharply at her friend.

"Not so soon..please?"

she looked a bit panicked. She whispered

"Pommy, I need your help. I have to turn this school around, and quickly, we have to bring Hogwarts back from the brink.. Albus' dealings for the last thirty years have practically destroyed us, we are the worst teaching establishment in the UK if not all of Europa.. a Hogwarts education used to mean something..I want it to be so again."

Sprout sighed. "We Hufflepuffs are nothing if not loyal, yes, I will help you. What's first?"

"Slytherin has no head, Severus is among the disappeared.. we will not be seeing him again."

Sprout thought for a moment. "Who is down there now?

"I have an Auror watching over them, he comes from Durmstrang and indicated he wanted to move here to the UK..met a girl, I believe."

"Will he stay the year?"

"No, one month only..my choices are Aurora and calling back Slughorn.. he might do."

Sprout thought a minute.

"Have this Durmstrang fellow, what's his name?"

"Chekov, Pavel Chekov, he says his parents were something called trekkies"

"Is he a pureblood?, the Slytherins would eat up anyone not a pureblood."

"Yes,his parents are purebloods, odd ones, but yes.."

Have him and Aurora work together to set the place straight.. if things are going as you say, there may be fewer instigators in the school this year."

"You may be right"

Sirius stuck his nose into the whispered conversation, and added his own whisper.

"Nott, Jugson, Avery, Pucey, McTavish, among others, all will fail to make the tuition payment this year, so those families will not have students in the school this semester.. or probably ever again."

"And you know this, how?"

Sprout looked at the ex-marauder.

"Because, my lovely Pomona, I just got a notification that their assets will be seized by the new government for being marked Death Eaters."

He held up his mirror which was streaming lines of news and data,

much of it from an unnamed source.

"Sirius Black what business do you have consorting with revolutionaries overthrowing the government."

"Me?, Consorting?..not me, I'm innocent of everything, trust me." he waggled his eyebrows at the professors.

It was all they could do to not laugh out loud.

"In a more somber note, shall we announce the demise of the Headmaster or not?"

"Not until Amelia's medical examiner comes to determine cause of death., she thinks it may be a crime, not natural"

Sirius snorted. "Natural? Around that old man?, I think not."

He sat at his seat and perused his mirror, as were quite a few of Harry's friends.

Minerva sighed and stood, getting everyone's attention.

"I have a few announcements to make.."

"Today's classes will be postponed, and I ask that the students maintain a bit of decorum in the great events happening.. as you see, the Daily Prophet is no more, it has been replaced."

"Also, from what I understand, our Ministry of Magic is being taken over and replaced as well."

A swell of noise and questions.

"An assignment for every student, which will be picked up by your head of House".

"listen to the broadcasts of the WWN and try to discern what is going on. Write a paragraph or two, no more than five on your view of today's attempted Government takeover."

"Students may go outside, but stay within range of the castle, for we don't know if there will be any attacks on the school. Older students look out for the younger, prefects, meeting with me one hour, and now, as I have received confirmation."

"At 6:21 this morning Albus Dumbledore passed over into the next great adventure, and I have been promoted to Headmistress. Temporarily Professor Sprout is my deputy and she will be replaced within thirty days, as many of her duties are time sensitive."

Professor Snape is one of 'The Missing' and we do not expect his return."

cheers and hooting.

"Quiet!, act like proper ladies and gentlemen!"

it took a minute, but they did.

"Auror Pavel Chekov and Professor Aurora Sinestra will be the temporary Head of Slytherin."

Some of the muggleborn giggled at Chekov's name.

They would change their tune the first time they did a bad Russian accent in his hearing.

McGonnegal looked to her companions at the Head table

"Do either of you have anything to say?"

Sprout said no, Sirius stood up.

"As Lord Black, I have called for an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot. I want all of you, and I mean ALL of you to listen to the broadcast, it will be on all channels of Radio Sunshine, and the WWN"

"Today is a day History is being made, you should remember it."

"Your assignment is this.

There are people overthrowing your government, by whose authority, and why. Ask those questions and write down your answers."

"Harry, come here."

Harry stood and took off his school robe and handed it to Luna, who was right next to him. He was wearing formal robes with the Potter AND Black crests large across the back. In a sheath on his shoulder was the Sword of Gryffindor.

He strode up to the table and met Sirius who stepped down from the platform. Sirius shrugged off his robe to reveal an all black military uniform with his personal Black Crest on his shoulder.

"Lord Harry James Potter is my heir in all things, unless I have an opportunity to produce an heir. If you attack him, you attack me"

Before they walked out the door, Sirius turned and spoke to Headmistress McGonnegal.

"I'm taking Lord Potter with me, we have a Wizengamot session to get to."

The entrance to the Ministry was blocked. The floo was now shut off, the portkey arrival area was warded, Apparition was blocked as well. There were two known exterior access points to the Ministry, one was the Phone Booth, which acted as an elevator into the main area of the atrium.

The other was an anonymous door in an alcove that, if it recognized you, allowed you into a plain concrete stairway, unremarkable and anonymous. Very few wizards used this doorway, only a few of the Unspeakables.

The wizards took very little notice of happenings above ground level, they had no thought for the twenty story building that was erected above the site of the Ministry, or the fact that there was a lot of real estate changing hands in the area recently.

The twenty story building had a name on the cornerstone that might have interested the people hidden below ground..

The cornerstone said this:

Potter Industrial Group

Erected 1978

Charlus Potter CEO

The Ministry would not see what was coming, for they were willfully blind.

Harry and Sirius entered the lobby of the PIG building and waved to the armed guards standing their duty. There was a company of Special Forces Marines on loan from the Royal Marines. Every one of the troops had at least one magical relative and knew what they were heading in to.

The elevator door opened, polished stainless, slipped aside silently and they entered, and were met by Mooney.

"Hows it going, Mooney?"

"five by five, My people took each department last night, and set up what is basically a processing line. Someone comes to work and is taken and questioned. If they are on the list, they get stubefied and stacked for later transport."

The Stubefie, was a runes based stunning charm, you slapped it on the target and they were out, and could not be woken up without a password.

"We've got the 10th floor courtroom filled. With stunned bodies, we may need another place to store them."

"I'm tempted to just start throwing marked Death Eaters through the veil."

"But that would be wrong" Harry said sarcastically.

The two men rolled their eyes and they reached the bottom of the elevator shaft. The doors opened. "Ninth level,Department of Mysteries."

They disembarked into a concrete walled room, big enough to hold close to 300 people if they all stood up straight.

"This'll do. Is the DoM taken?"

"I'll say, they are cooperating with us.. taken out several of their own and delivered them."

"Verra nice.. are we ready?"

"Yes, OK men, look sharp"

The three stood straight and checked each other. The Royal Marines flowed out of the elevator shaft like water.

"The Wizengamot full?"

Mooney looked at his mirror and showed it to Sirius. He nodded in satisfaction, the image showed all the seats filled, well, except for the missing members.

The locked door in the Department of Mysteries opened and people began pouring out.

"Forward MARCH!

A drumbeat echoed throughout the Ministry building. No one could see where it was coming from, and looked around in shock.

Somewhere, deep inside the structure, marching feet trod

one two

one two

one two

The marching soldiers flowed out several doors into the Atrium, a mix. From one door, Royal Marines, from anther door, Mooney's Lycan Wolfpack, from a third, a troop of armed Goblin Warriors, and a fourth, a troop of American Auror mercenaries hired for the duration of this action.

Harry was not nervous, he had trained very hard to use The Sword well, and he did, both with and without a wand. He could hold his own left or right handed, Hermione had taken to calling him Inigo Montoya while they were training.

The troops all marched into the Atrium and took their places, guarding the floo, guarding the elevators, guarding every possible ingress or exit.

A small squad was setting up a framework in the lobby, and dialing in a long sequence of numbers at the junctures of each corner.

As the troops passed by a large platform lined with shelves appeared, and the crew started loading stunned prisoners on the shelves.

The column of troops peeled off and went to their assigned areas, and there was no one left in the Ministry, in any office in any hidden room or closet that had not been found. Loyal wizards were directed to the Gallery in the Wizengamot hall, or were held in the lunchroom facility.

The Wizengamot members were all in their traditional seats awaiting the arrival of Lord Black, and were concerned about this noise and all these armed people around them. Some would even attempt to protest.

Like it would do any good.

The three marched into the Wizengamot chamber, followed by a company of Lycans armed with a variety of weapons.

The Lycans fanned out and held their weapons at the ready, vaguely pointed toward the ruling body. Harry, Sirius and Mooney strode up to the front and center of the chamber and stopped. With the signal of his foot hitting the floor as he stood to attention, the drumbeat stopped.

A podium appeared. Sirius stepped up, and his voice was amplified.

"With the Authorization of His Majesty King Edward the IX, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of HIS other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith."

I , Sirius Orion Black have been appointed Military Governor of the Magical world of The United Kingdom."

"I declare a state of Martial Law now exists."

There was much muttering and anger.

"I declare that this Wizengamot is hereby disbanded."

"All special privilege, payment, status afforded the members of this body shall now be stopped."

"Every member of this body will be questioned and searched before they leave this chamber. If found to bear the Dark Mark, that person shall be arrested and imprisoned to await judgment."

There was a fuss and one of the members jumped up and attempted to cast a curse towards Sirius, but was hit in the face with a potions ball, delivered by a paintball gun. The assailant collapsed, unconscious, tagged with Draught of the living death.

He was levitated out of the heap he was in on the floor, , his sleeve cut away, and the mark revealed.

A gesture from Mooney and the man was taken away, to be put with all the other prisoners.

The soldiers on the floor of the chamber were on high alert now, their weapons raised and pointed at the ex-wizengamot members.

Fudge tried to make some noise and demanded that the Aurors arrest everyone.

"This brings us to the next point".

"Our authorization says that we must ferret out corruption, criminal activity, deliberate malfeasance and crimes against magic, crimes against humanity."

"To this end, I am forming a tribunal, with members of our society in good standing as judges.."

Arthur, Amelia, Nicholas.?

Out of the waiting area came Arthur Weasley, Amelia Bones and Nicholas Flamel..

A judges stand was created and the three stood before it.

"The oath?"

The three raised their hands with wands, and repeated after Sirius.

"On my magic and My Life, I swear to make fair and just decisions. I will take no bribe or gift to influence my decisions.

So mote it be"

The three were enveloped in a glow and were dressed in the robes of judgment.

Fudge attempts to raise a fuss finally got him some attention.

Sirius grinned. "Thank you for volunteering Cornelius, please step to the chair." he indicated the chair with the chains awaiting him. He tried to get away,but two lycans picked him up, effortlessly and placed him in the chair and the chains did their duty.

"Administer the veritaserum."

Sirius returned to speaking as Fudge was dealt with.

"Under this magical tribunal, EVERY prisoner will be interrogated and the truth will be found. Once the truth is found, judgment will be made

That judgment will be carried out within thirty days of today.

Prisoners may speak for their self, they may have counsel, but the must speak for themselves.

The judgment of the tribunal is final.

"Let the trials begin."

"Are you a Death Eater"

"No."

"Do you support the policies and ideas of pureblood rights as espoused by Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Voldemort?"

"yes, er, no, what was the question?"

"Are you a follower of Voldemort's policies?"

"No."

"What is your reason for being the Minister"

"Power and Money"

"Which is more important?"

"Power..Money, no.."

"Do you take bribes?"

"I call them campaign donations."

"who is your biggest contributor"

"Lucius, but I have not seen him recently"

"Lucius Malfoy?"

"Yes, he is my best adviser"

"You do what he says?"

"Whenever I can"

"He is a Death Eater"

"He paid me to say he is not."

"How much did he pay to get that?"

"One Hundred Thousand Galleons.

"Anyone else?"

"McNair, Carrows, Yaxley, Jugson."

100,000 each?"

"yes."

"That's half a million Galleons in bribes."

"Yes, that was a good year"

Fudges questioning went on for a while and at the end he was taken away to prison.

Each member of the former Wizengamot was asked if they would read a list of crimes and asked if they could swear that they were not guilty of any of those acts, and most did, some had one or two things to check off, and notes were taken on these.

While they were reading the lists and checking off their own particulars,

Sirius was talking, as much to the WWN and Radio Sunshine broadcast, as the people in the chamber.

"This is the set of rules that have been decided that we will enforce. It will be published in the media and distributed to every witch and wizard of age in our country."

He passed out the basic laws.

"At present these rules will be enforced strictly, without regard to house wealth, job, who you know or who you don't know.

Rule number 1

Secrecy: We will be maintaining the Secrecy act. There is no reason to let the mundane world to know about us without reason."

"Rule Number 2"

No slavery of any sort, no house elves will be held or owned in bondage,

No one may have human slaves, bond-servants, vassals who are held against their will. This said, any vassal, bond-servant may continue , but they must have a clearly defined contract, with a separation option, defining the rights of both parties.

Under these rules, you may hire an elf to assist you in your house, but they are freed from the curse that made House elves what they were..

"You may have seen some of the restored elves, respect them and treat them as equals, for they are a newly restored race of magical people."

"No person shall use any love potion, lust potion, any kind of control potion on another, and when you are caught, you will be liable to prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. This includes the use on Muggles.

Further, using and abusing Muggles and obliviating them is now covered under this law, When caught you will find yourself very quickly in prison."

"Rule Number 3."

"Muggle hunting, Muggle abuse and use is forbidden, and not as it has been for the last hundred years, with a laugh and a two knut fine. The laws WILL be enforced, and EVERY criminal act against a muggle will be reported to the Muggle authorities. We have good relationship with them, and they really want to know about a lot of unexplained crimes."

"Consider yourself warned."

"Rule Number 4."

"Equal rights for all.

Women have the same rights as men, muggleborn have the same rights a purebloods, Elves, Centaurs, Goblins, Dwarves, Gnomes are all sentient races of magical peoples and are an even level with human mages, and shall not be discriminated against because their specie or heritage."

"Werewolves are a different story, as the curse is something they cannot control, but they can protect each other and the public by responsible behavior.

"Every lycan has an opportunity to be free by contacting the new government, and we, the government will provide free wolfsbane, a job if needed and training.

There are appropriately warded reserves available for the nights of the Change, and if found outside one of those reserves, that werewolf is subject to the full application of the law and punishments."

"Look around you.. each of these soldiers wearing a black uniform like mine is a werewolf, a healthy well trained and in their right mind lycan.

What you see here is merely 100 of our warriors, we also have 200 plus who work in our greenhouses, fields, all manner of jobs, and they are happy with their families.

"Any werewolf who deliberately spreads the lycan virus will be captured and imprisoned, as I said Responsibility."

"Rule number 5."

Speech. Anyone can say anything they want, voice any opinion they want without reprisal.

If that person tells lies about another person, they can expect retribution.

If the lies are published, that publisher had better have a solid clad fact to back up that lie.

If that publisher prints lies about another and does not prove the facts, that publisher is subject to fines and penalties."

"Rule Number 6."

"All the basic laws of the Mundane world are to be followed. You are citizens of the United Kingdom, and as such subject to those laws, you are also entitled to protection under those same laws."

"These rules will be enforced, these rules will be backed by the new government until they are either legally voted down or proven to be otherwise inappropriate."

Sirius read off the parchment his authority, he read the basic rules and told of the enforcement of those rules, and while the questioning and oaths of the former wizengamot members was going on, he described the government structure that was to be put in place.

"In the entire UK there are fewer than 100.000 magical humans. This includes all people who can make a simple spell work, see through a anti-muggle ward such as the one hiding Diagon Alley, or have a direct magical relative."

Some will protest that will allow squibs into our world, but you forget, many of those squibs are family, and should not be cast out."

"Many of those cast out of our world are here today, gentlemen, step forward."

Every one of the dangerous looking Royal Marines stepped forward.

"Trust me friends, it does not pay to piss off an armed man."

The cold glares the magical world was receiving from the soldiers made

them cringe.

Lupin stepped up. "We are done with this lot.. those are marked, those are Sympathizers, those are the trustworthy ones."

he pointed to each group.

The marked were taken away , unconscious, the sympathizers skulked away with magic suppressing manacles on, and the ones left over were asked to sit.

"We have to do away with the traditional inherited titles, because it is causing too much damage and allowing dark lords to rise to power every twenty to forty years, just look at history"

"You people left here are trustworthy, and I apologize about how we had to go to find that out. For this, I offer you a boon. I offer you a hand in forming our new government."

This will be an appointed position that will last a total of two years. After that two years, you will be released from your duty. If you want to accept you must tell me within five days, in the meantime, I will be explaining how the new government is to work."

He distributed a basic bill of rights and a constitution, and an outline how a checks and balances system works, ow they were to elect representatives and the like.

Sirius shook his head and returned to business.

"Well then. Ok you lot.. I can't keep calling you ex-wizengamot members, so lets give you the proper title.

This group who remains to advise on the creation of the new government shall be called...the Advisory Council" "My people are passing out an agenda to each of you, read it tonight and be back here tomorrow morning at 8 am to ..Advise."

Your assignments are to create a Bill of Rights, and a Constitution, there are examples, and for our listening audience, every paper we pass out will be published in both The Howler and The Quibbler, and content can be found online everywhere."

Most everyone did not understand the last part of that, and shrugged it off.

Now then. The thing that triggered this whole set of events was the cowardly attack on my Godson, Harry, where a Ministry employee used the Killing curse to kill him. As he said, he got over it."

"Harry take it from there."

Harry stepped forward one step and bowed to the non-wizengamot, and stepped back.

"The current Dark Lord, Tom Riddle, AKA Voldemort, has been a cancer on this land for too long. The manipulations of those in power has caused much death and destruction in our lands and amongst our people.

They say that we have around 100,000 mages in our country. This is a lie."

"We have fewer than 40,000 actual wizards and witches in our country, why?, because pureblood sports, because murdering bigots, because insane sociopaths that were supported by our government."

"The purebloods are breeding themselves out of existence. By keeping it in the family, so to speak, there are fewer and fewer live births of new magical children. Every married couple should have at minimum two children to keep our population from shrinking, but most, as you all know have a single child."

The so-called muggleborne are the salvation of our society, but what do we have?, fools like Lucius Malfoy reading the Great Book of magical births and going 'muggle hunting', killing off magical children for no other reason than they are a threat to the pureblood ideal."

"All of you people out there who are so-called muggleborne, check with your families, check with your histories, you WILL find mysterious deaths.. WE WILL be finding out who did as many of these killings as possible and bring those criminals to justice."

All across the UK people were realizing that situation with their uncle or older sister who 'disappeared'...

"Now then as to the reason I am here.. not just to make speeches or look cool, I am here to end the life and threat of Tom Riddle, AKA Voldemort."

"I have been prophesied to be the one who ends the dark lords reign. I am the only one who can kill him, and he is the only one who can kill me."

he sighed. "There is a prophecy down in the hall of prophecies, I do not believe in prophecy but Tom Riddle apparently does, that's why he attacked my family and why he marked me as his equal with the scar.."

"By the way, when I was killed last night, I got rid of the scar."

he raised his hair to show the smooth forehead.

People gasped at the explanation where he admitted that he WAS the chosen one.

"I need to do a bit of Rune work here for a ritual that needs done, please carry on with your discussion."

Harry then took out a large roll of parchment and began to work.

Sirius stepped up.

Today we will be setting up a war crimes tribunal, and those who are criminals will be judged and sentencing handed down.

"All sentences are final."

"Arthur, you have a question?"

"yes, Are three of us as judges sufficient, or should we have more?"

"Well, do you know four or ten more honest and reputable men who will look at things fairly?"

"Why four or ten?"

The magical primes, 3, 7, 13..pretty soon it becomes impractical, so we started with three, if the three of you agree, you may elect some more people."

"We will discuss it." Arthur turned to Amelia and Nicholas and they talked amongst themselves.

Sirius turned his attention to his godson.

"Ok, we're still broadcasting live across the country, in fact the world, what are you doing Harry?"

Harry was on his knees on the floor transferring the runes and lines on the parchment to the stone floor of the Chamber.

"I have this ritual circle worked out, I have been working on it for more than a month with Rune Master Charles Shepherd and his apprentice Genn Dubois, and once it is complete and enclosed, I can summon Tom here, and divest him of his magic, and his life. As you know he has cheated Death for the last fourteen years, and she is pissed."

"Death, she? What are you talking about.?"

"I was speaking with Death last evening, you know, when the toad's killing curse hit me, I was in the afterlife for from my view, several hours, outside time, here, I mean was a few seconds, maybe thirty."

"I see, one more for the unique things Harry has done file.."

Harry snorted. "You better believe it..well, I have the ritual circle almost done, keep people off it please"

This last was to the soldiers on guard, most of them had stood down, since the Ministry was completely and totally in the hands of the new revolution.

Percy came in, bearing a mirror and a stack of paperwork. He placed the pile on the dais and got his father's attention.

Arthur turned and saw the stack. His eyebrows raised at the number.

He picked up the top sheet and looked it over, and passed it to his two colleagues. They nodded and put it back on the pile.

Arthur stood.

Everyone went silent and paid attention.

"We, the War Crimes Tribunal intend to elect from among the population Ten more judges. So that we may have on duty at least seven at all times. That will take some of the burden off just the three of us."

Sirius answered. "Very well, do you have any names you would like to put up now?"

"Not at this time. We will take suggestions, though."

Harry stood. "I have someone I would like to nominate for the position..one of the positions."

"Yes?"

"He has done some work for me and my Godfather, he put his family, his wife and child at risk without question, because he believes his actions are the right thing to do. He put his name and his very life at risk for this cause."

They looked at him expectantly

"Percy, will you accept the nomination?"

Percy looked shocked at this, he didn't even recognize himself when Harry described him.

"Um, er, sure, yes, I will, If the tribunal accepts me, I would be honored to work with them."

"Good, Tribunal?, what do you think?"

the three spoke together and then they were four.

It would take three more days to get the nominees together, and once having done so, they would pass judgment on all the Death Eaters and criminals.

"Are you ready?"

"I am."

Hermione had arrived to watch the event personally, and to support her lover.

Harry stood in the center of the ritual circle, he levitated Hermione over to himself and gave her a kiss, and she was flown back to her seat..between Arthur and Nicholas.

His wand now was made up of three parts. The Elder wand, the Ring and the Cloak. He had put them together in a bundle and shrunk them down to a toothpick size, and palmed the assemblage.

He powered up the runes, and they glowed brightly, starting at the outer edges, and working their way in until they were completely lit and functioning.

There was a central circle which Harry stood in, and one circle that was heavily warded.

He started speaking in Greek

"_Moirae, I ask a favor, a boon of thee, Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos, I ask your favor."_

A misty apparition came and came into focus, and spoke to the young man. It was three women, but they all spoke with a single voice.

"_**What is it mortal, we have seen you, twice before, and it is not yet your time, now you hold the tools of death in your hand, what will you have us do?"**_

"_I want nothing more than to bring the pieces of Tom Marvolo Riddle _

_back together where they belong, and send him into the afterlife._

_I wish nothing for myself."_

All this was spoken in Greek, and in a dialect few would understand.

The three held their heads together and then faced him.

"_**Agreed, he is a bothersome child. Summon him."**_

Harry nodded and began the summoning ritual, and from a few places in the land, wraiths did come.

From a vault in Gringotts bank, a wraith,

From a large Snake curled up, sleeping near a fire, another.

From the in-between place, neither life nor death, four more.

Lachesis reached out with her measuring rod and snagged the pieces and handed them off to Atropos, who took the thread spun by Clotho and tied the bits together in a rough approximation of a man. When all were bound, they looked to Harry.

"_**One more."**_

He bowed to the ladies and did the final part of the summoning.

In Little Hangelton, a dying snake remained by the fire, and the wretched burn scarred semi-human wizard was phasing in and out of solidity.. he was more and more insubstantial, and finally with a pop he was ripped from his father's manor and slammed down hard on the stone floor of the council chamber.

The rent in the fabric of space let out a fireball that was nearly as hot as the sun, and for a second, there were some who thought an atom bomb had gone off in a backwater town in England.

The house was vaporized as well as the land around it, to the depth of thirty feet. This took the graveyard where Tom had been reborn, and now there was no sign of anything Riddle, Gaunt or Voldemort to be found.

Tom was shaken, stirred and otherwise without bearings. He looked up at a young man looking down at him, and saw the boy's mouth moving, but he could not hear. He did, however see the great sword swinging for his neck.

He tried to dodge, but the scar tissue from the dragon fire burns was so stiff he could barely move.

His head rolled one way and his body stayed inert.

The remaining part of his soul came out and were snagged by the Fates and sewed into the rag doll that was Tom Riddle.

The last remaining bit of Voldemort burned with a magical fire and was consumed, leaving no mark or ash, nothing.

Harry turned and faced the Fates.

He bowed deeply.

"_Thank you ladies, I will see you again someday, when it is my time, until then, I wish you well."_

they smiled at him and faded away. Hermione and Sirius were standing at the edge f the ritual circle. Harry put away the Sword, and cast a super powered scourgify after he drained the power from the runes. The floor was spotless, right down to the stone pavers. He opened his arms and Hermione was in them instantly.

Sirius put his arms around the two and held them to himself.

Percy was describing the actions in the great room, since no one else was inclined to do so, and some day he would be the top video news anchor in Britain and the UK, 'The most trusted name in news.'

Harry extricated himself from the three way hug and spoke softly. I have a few things I have to do.. I will meet you back at the Tower, all right?"

Hermione nodded, tears flowing down her face. She was so happy she couldn't help but cry.

"Be careful, and come back to me.."

"Take care Sirius, I will be a few minutes to you, a couple days for me, I think."

Sirius nodded and stepped back as Harry cast a very powerful 'personal space' ward, so no one could get near him.

He sat as if to meditate and his butt never hit the floor, he was levitated a few feet up, and you could feel the power radiating from him.

In the in-between, Harry stepped out of a right angle to nothing, and looked down the long train platform. There on the far end was a raggedy man, trying to hold himself together, and there with him, another in brightly colored robes, pacing back and forth. He was obviously trying to talk the other into something.

Harry nodded and then turned another angle and appeared, in his ephemeral form in the Chamber of Secrets.

He strolled down the aisles of spheres holding prisoners, and stopped in front of one.

The sallow man inside looked drained. Actually, he was, drained of information, he had told all his secrets, every one of them.. once they had broken him, there was no turning back. He felt a hand take him by the arm and march him down the aisle, and into...a train platform?.. he looked over and it was Potter.

Potter?. How could he..?

He felt another hand on the other arm,.. another Potter.. son and father together. He felt doomed before he heard the words.

"Severus, how could you, I was your friend.. you gave us up to ..them?"

the red haired angry woman pointed at the two arguing old men at the far end of the platform.."What did I do to you to deserve such treatment, I defended you to James and Siri, they apologized to you, and this is what you do to us?.. she just hauled back and smacked him hard, across the face. James and Harry just looked at each other and shrugged.

They continued their trek to the far end of the platform, and were greeted by a brightly dressed Dumbledore and a rather poorly sewn together Tom Riddle.

"Welcome my boy, Welcome,friends, would you like a lemon drop?"

all the new arrivals shook their head no, and Riddle just rolled his eyes.

"I am so glad to see you, my boy, and it was so kind of you to escort Severus to our great reward.."

"Shut up you old fool, you have nothing to say I want to hear, so just shut the hell up!"

Lily punctuated her anger with a resounding smack upon the face of the 'leader of the light'

Dumbledore looked to James with a question in his eyes.

"What she said" James said laconically.

Harry spoke up. "We have one more person for this meeting, would you please come here, Myrtle Madison?"

Myrtle showed up a few seconds later.

"Wow, this is the first time I have been out of the castle in what, fifty years.."

she looked excited.

"Well Myrtle, I wanted you to see this, the final reward for the person responsible for your death..Tom, stand up and show Myrtle some respect"

Riddle wearily got up from the bench and stood like a schoolboy caught in the act.

"Anything to say Tom?"

nothing. He just slouched.

"Harry my boy.."

"My Mum told you to shut up old man, so I'm saying it..Shut the fuck up"

Harry's punctuation was a fist and a foot.

He turned to Snape.

"Just in case you don't realize it, you are dead. I took your soul with me, and you are now in the in-between." He dug in his bottomless bag and pulled out a piece of thread.

Thread given him by Clotho, the spinner.

Harry tied it around the neck of Snape, Dumbledore and Riddle, and back to Snape.

He then bound their hands together, so each was tied to the hand of the next in a reverse daisy chain.

They formed the three points of a triangle. They could not sit down, or walk,l or do anything without the complete cooperation of the other two. They were already trying, tugging this way and that, but to no avail.

The thread was unbreakable, and would never, ever come off, except by the Master of Death.

Harry.

Lily, James and Myrtle looked on as he did this.

"They are stuck together for their entire..life?

"eternally"

"It fits, after all, Tom is Dumbledore's son, well his creation, so is Snape, they owe their very existence to him, so he is responsible for them, and all the blood they had shed, every drop.

"Every killing, every rape, every crime by them and their followers."

Harry reached out and grabbed the old man's hands and the blood appeared.

"The blood of innocents, on your hands. Forever."

They heard a train coming, fast. It could be seen coming from the North. It was black, and it shone with darkness. The train did not even slow down, so as it passed Harry kicked the trio off the platform onto the waiting cars, well, hoppers, holding the damned on their down bound journey.

The train rushed out of the station and out of sight.

Harry took Myrtle in a hug. "I'm sorry I didn't visit you more, but now you can go and find your family, and maybe find some peace, ok?"

"That's a good idea, I think, how do I get there?"

He gestured and a 1930's streamline rolled into a station, all shiny and sleek. If they had been trainspotters, they would have recognized this train as a New York Central Twentieth Century Limited, with it's flowing lines and polished steel.

The coaches were lit up with happy people and friendly service, a place that one really wanted to be.

A Porter stepped down and held the door open.

"It's time Miss Myrtle, get some rest."

the girl kissed his cheek and got on the train.

Harry turned to his parents. "You should go on too."

They thought about it for a very short time and shook their heads no.

"We will stay around for a while, at least until you and your wife can go with us as well."

"Wife?"

"Yes, Hermione, and maybe another.."

"Lily, don't tease, Harry is only fifteen, give him a chance."

"Yes Husband.." she smirked at the older Potter.

The couple walked off after hugging their son.

He shook his head and started to leave, but he noticed a figure at the far end of the platform. Realization hit. "Oops, forgot"

He walked toward the figure who was walking toward him.

"Sorry, I was distracted and forgot.."

The young girl, no, young lady, dressed in all black black hair, black makeup, everything smiled. She was quite lovely for a very Goth looking girl.

Come, lets have a cup of tea, shall we?"

Harry didn't mind, they walked over to the side of the platform where a teashop appeared. They sat at a table and had tea. Harry laid the Hallows on the table. "I promised you these, and here they are."

he gave her a boyish grin.

"Thank you, my predecessor was upset he made these deals, and wanted to get them back, badly. It appears they have caused much trouble in the living world as well."

"I suppose, I only know what Mr Lovegood told me, and what I have learned from owning them for a day. Truthfully, I'm glad to be rid of them, it would make me and my family a target, and I won't have that."

Death opened up the bound package, and did something with each part. She removed ..something.. from each hallow. And laid them back down.

"There, now they are a wand, a ring and a cloak, nothing more."

"Thank you. I daresay they are certainly historical artifacts now."

she laughed, her voice a tinkling sound like glass wind-chimes.

"Go home Harry, you have much to do"

"Yes, I suppose. Actually I think I will go and get some sleep."

they stood and Harry held out his hand to hers, but she ignored it and pulled him into a hug.

"I will see you again, my friend, but it may be a long time."

she kissed his cheek and faded away.

He shook his head and left. On the platform a tall man dressed all in black, Destiny sighed. "Good luck, mate, you'll need it."

End Chapter 20

Some may say with the demise of the two dark lords and their lackey, the story is over.

This is not true.

There is quite a bit of story to go yet, so keep reading and I will say, I really appreciate your reviews and encouragement.

I will endeavor to give you an interesting story to read.

TimW


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The Ministry had been taken, and Amelia Bones had come through it unscathed. She was shocked at how quickly it had all come together. Her own Auror forces were split, on the one hand, the aurors she felt she could trust in to do the right thing, had all turned and sided with the invaders, in most cases working alongside the invaders.

The oldest knew Sirius Black from when he was an Auror, and the younger generally followed the lead of the older.

It had been a given all along, during the 'search' for the escaped convict that if he was found by one of the light aurors, he would have been unnoticed, and escaped detection. It was a wonderful thing in Amelia's eyes when Pettigrew had been captured and Sirius had finally gotten a trial, and been exonerated of all charges.

She had asked him if he was interested in being her head Auror, but he declined, saying his responsibility for his Godson was paramount, but if she needed a hand on some specific things, he was available.

Amelia and Sirius were not that much different in age, she tended to look older than she was, due to her style of dress, in order to appear more conservative she would wear severe stern looking clothes whenever someone was around, but her niece Susan knew that her auntie's favorite getup was more appropriate for a 60's beach party, California style.

Right now she was in her office thinking about leaving and finding a beach somewhere, her head Auror was giving her a hard time about her cooperation with the invaders.

"Rufus, just get with the program, please, both you and I know that too many of the people in the former Ministry were, no ARE corrupt, all a criminal had to do was make a big enough payment and you could literally get away with murder, Malfoy proved that, along with the other dozen Death Eaters he bribed out of the Veil."

Scrimgouer started to protest, but Amelia cut him off.

"I know it stirred up a bees nest of anger, but look at it this way, now you can go and cultivate new political allies without the worry of their crimes taking you down with them as well."

That shut him up.

"Now, there are going to be big changes, but this doesn't mean things have to be completely different, with a bit of wisdom we can improve the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.. now, did you see the tactics used by the different groups yesterday?, I was quite impressed with Lupins Lycan forces, they were efficient and never used more force than needed to get the job done.."

she was interrupted.."But they are dark creatures, werewolves.."

"Rufus, you have to get your head out of the past, after today, there will not be a classification for 'dark creature, maybe an individual, but not as a class.. Greyback, now there's a dark creature, a criminal who revels in violence who works at being evil..but the average werewolf?, all they want is a regular job and to be left alone.. the only reason so many turn to criminal activity is they are hungry and hopeless. Look at the statistics right here!"

she threw a folder across the desk and thumped it with her finger.

"The crimes attributed to werewolves, look at the day they dropped off, and a week later, virtually stopped, do you know why?"

Rufus knew, he just didn't want to say.

"Because that's the week Black sent out invitations to every werewolf in the UK and part of Europa, and he offered them all jobs and wolfsbane and something to live for.. That's why!, now why didn't any of OUR people think of this.. think of it Aurors who are three times as fast and four times as strong as our best auror.."

"I know, I know, but can they be trusted?"

"Rufus, have you been listening to that idiot Umbridge again?, you know as well as I do as an administrator, you show trust and respect for your people and they will jump to be the best they can be, now think, because of the stupid laws we have had to enforce, we have a bunch of disaffected angry, overpowered potential criminals..NOW, Black and Lupin have a mercenary force of over 200 people who will do ANYTHING for them..we should consider ourselves damn lucky that Sirius is on our side."

Scrimgouer scowled. "I still don't like him, never did."

Amelia smirked. "That's because he's one of the three people on the force who you could never beat in a duel"

The lion haired man said nothing, but they both knew that she was right.

"Moody is overseeing this, you know."

This got Scrimgouer's attention.

"What?"

"Moody was captured last year and held prisoner, Black and Potter freed him, and are overseeing his recovery.. they asked him to help and he agreed, I assume, he decided that his moral compass would keep everyone honest, or maybe, he just wants to be at the center of the action."

Scrimgouer sighed.

"What do you want me to do, Director?"

Harry and Hermione arrived back at Hogwarts after the takeover of the Ministry. They managed to avoid the worst of the crowds swarming, asking questions, because they never actually passed through the main part of the school.

Harry used his dedicated portkey and ended up at Potter's Keep, and after a short turn-around there, used the cage to get inside the Wards of Hogwarts.

The cages were still very limited, and there were only a few.

Potter's keep, The back door to the Chamber of Secrets, also known as Centaur Village, The Tower, above Gryffindor Tower. And an industrial warehouse East of London. Gringotts had one in a secure room as well.

In another few days, there would be another transport cage, in the Potter Industrial Group tower, which had direct access to the Ministry.

The couple slipped into their tower room, and crashed on the couches.

There was activity in the room, as the roundup of Death Eaters and named sympathizers was still going on. They had caught a

high percentage of the named Death Eaters, there were a few who were out of the country, hiding or just out of public access.

From every evidence they could find there were only 153 named Death Eaters and probably 300 active sympathizers. In their interrogations the new revolution built dossiers on every person named, either by association, family member, however slim the connection.

It was a testament to the smallness of the wizarding world that it seemed like everyone knew everyone.

The tribunal met several times, every member and had to work out sentences for each and every level of crime.

It was quickly ascertained that to receive the Dark Mark on your arm, at minimum one cold blooded murder, involving deliberate torture was involved.

After having viewed several memories of these events, the entire group, without a single dissenter ruled that having the Dark Mark was a death sentence.

They also decided that if one took that mark, all the assets, real and otherwise were to be seized and used in the reparations funds.

There was a bit of a problem with some of these assets, though, for many of the DE s had very dark objects in their possession or in their vaults.

Once again, the Goblin mercenaries were hired, to dispose of such artifacts, with the proviso that anything they found that had a parseltongue spell or curse on it was to be saved for Harry and Bill to dispose of.

Deep in the bedrock of the Earth, the Goblins took the dark items and drained the magic out of said object, and that magic was neither light nor dark, it just was. That magic was diverted to wards and goblin based uses.

Luna had taken over the meditation chamber and had been in there for several hours.

She was collating thoughts and threads leading to assorted potential realities when Hermione stuck her head in looking for the blond girl.

The soon to be Lady Potter looked in and tried to quietly remove herself, so as to not disturb her friend.

"Hermione, stay..please"

The blond Ravenclaw beckoned her older friend to herself, opening her eyes.

She patted the platform next to her, there in the center of the runic protection circle. Hermione moved in and sat down, cross legged, next to the girl. Luna threw her arms around the bushy haired Gryffindor and pulled her tightly in a hug.

"I am so glad you are here, Hermione, I just want to hold you so tightly, and never let you go.."

Hermione peeled the girls arms from around her, so she could breathe.

"Why is that Luna, I just spoke with you yesterday, it's not like I have not seen you in a year or something"

Luna re-attached herself to Hermione, but didn't hug so tightly this time, and the older girl inwardly sighed at the situation. "Talk to me Luna, make me understand, please"

Luna laid her head on Hermione's shoulder and sighed. "If I must..I must."

she got a determined look on her face, but kept her head where it was.

Hermione looked sideways, trying to suss out what the girl was talking about.

"I have explained how I see the potential realities, the possibles and the different paths, the myriad ways?"

Hermione nodded, remembering the girl's explanation that day last year.

"Well, I let my mind's eye travel up as many of the paths as I can, until they either come to a good conclusion or not, some have been horrible to contemplate, some have been terribly embarrassing, well for me, anyway, A huge number of the bad endings were cut off today, with the capture and death of Tom.. and the Headmaster..with either or both of them, our Harry dies a lonely death, and we are lost..all of us."

Luna twisted around and faced the older girl directly. She was sitting on her knees, facing Hermione, her hands cradling her friend's face.

"I don't know if you understand just how close we came to losing our entire world, it may have taken a year or two, but if Tom had lived, the entire world would have died."

Luna's face was streaked with tears, and she waited for some kind of answer, some kind of response from Hermione.

Hermione hesitantly put out her hand and placed it on the girl's waist and that triggered it. Luna jumped forward and engulfed Hermione in her arms, knocking both girls over. Hermione was partially stunned, having landed on her back with the wind knocked out of her, a squirming Luna on top of her. She though nothing of it, and just patted the girl on the back, trying to calm her fears. Luna, however was responding oddly, and Hermione felt some shock when the younger girl nipped on her neck, and inhaled as if breathing in the scent of your lover.

"Ohno, nonononnooo" her mind was frantically trying to grasp what was happening..

She pushed back on the blond girl and wriggled and got up on her elbows and tried to get out from under, her hair flying away everywhere.

"Luna..Luna..LUNA!"

The younger girl froze in shock, and realized what she had done.

She went instantly red all over and jumped back almost too quick to see.

"Oh, my, I'm sorry, I..I..oh.." she began to cry.

Hermione realized what was going on.

Quickly she conjured up a pair of chairs with a table between them. She practically lifted the young witch into a chair and sat on the other side of the table.

A mental message to Winky and a tea service appeared silently.

Hermione took solace and pleasure in the small rituals of tea. If she had been born in Japan, she would be doing the proper tea ceremony now. Ritual must be followed.

As a proper British Lady, she let Luna compose herself and served her tea. Luna followed ritual automatically, allowing her to get her mind together.

"Luna, I am sorry, I interrupted your meditation, I should not have distracted you." "I understand the risks of distraction while working on your inner organization..I have possibly caused you embarrassment or confusion, I promise as your friend and as a witch that I will keep your secrets on this matter.."

Luna dabbed her eyes, wiping away the tears, and rolled her eyes up and to the side, not really able to look at her friend.

"Um..I think you know, I just reached my womanhood.." she sniffed.

"I have seen so many..sooo..many things.." she broke down crying.

Hermione pulled out her lace hankie and gave it to the girl, and held her as best she could over the table, pulling her head down to her shoulder and patting her back.

"Lets not think about what could have been, you yourself said that now that Tom and the old man are dead, those things won't happen.. right?"

Luna sniffed and sat back, wiping her eyes.

"yes, I suppose you are correct.. it is hard not to think about these other things though." she sighed.

Hermione took her by the hands.

"I have seen it myself, in life and in literature, when faced with death and destruction, a person wants to celebrate life.. it is a common thing to have a baby boom whenever an army comes home from war.. your reaction is much like that, I suspect that your hormones are a bit out of kilter just now.."

Luna sniffed a bit and bowed her head "Yes and no..I saw one future with you and Harry...and I...together." She could not lift her head.

"I cannot get that out of my head, and I have been trying to put it in a box, store it away." She paused. "I could feel the emotions my potential self had..I liked them, and I want them."

Hermione understood exactly what the blond girl was speaking of, she had seen the basics that Mr Cromwell had taught both Luna and Harry on how to protect their mind.

Harry had several file drawers of things he had experienced and did not want to remember, but was unwilling to risk the possibility of losing some important memory.

"What do you mean by...together?"

"I mean that...by some set of ...circumstances, I..um..I.."

Luna burst out crying. Hermione could not help but care for the girl.

The table vanished and the girl was engulfed in the arms of the Gryffindor witch, who hugged her and smoothed her hair and let her cry on her shoulder.

Hermione sent a mental message to Harry:

_"Luna is distressed and I need to help her..but I am not sure about my telepathy yet.."_

Harry sent back.

_"You can do it , you are the most capable witch in our country if not the world, you will do fine..I will stand watch in case you need me."_

Hermione whispered in her friend's ear.

"I am going to see if I can help, I am going to enter your mind, with your permission."

Luna said nothing, but nodded. Hermione leaned back enough to look the young Ravenclaw in the eyes. They were tending toward blue today, a sign that the girl was suffering from stress or pain, or some other emotional excess.

The area she could see was the entrance to a great hall, an edifice of epic proportions.

Avatar Luna appeared, wearing the ceremonial robes of the ancient Greek Vestal Virgins

"Follow me please"

Hermione followed down a stone paved path, lined with all manner of magical flowers and plants, great tall sunflowers with faces, who sang and talked to all passersby.

Creeping roses which snapped to attention as the guide and her charge approached, Snapping daisies which wanted to nibble at your ankles.

They found themselves at a small door off to the side of the great entrance, an obscure door, almost unnoticeable in the towers of green jade.

The guide knocked on the door, and a small portal opened. Hermione was not paying attention to this, because her attention was drawn to a curious creature which phased n and out of visual existence off to the side of the door.

The creature had a vaguely tubular body, and no apparent legs, but it did have three circles rotating around itself. Purple and green circles, like a hoop around a pickle. It had a singular eye which looked back and blinked.

The creature made a sound that was along the lines of 'blbrblbrblbr' and the circles rotated faster and it zipped away, off to some other location.

The Luna which answered the door smiled and thanked the guide, and invited Hermione inside.

"I see you met Fenton, he usually hangs out here by the door."

"He, at least I think of him as a 'he' is a blibbering humdinger.. sometimes if you watch closely in the physical world, you can see them near tasty magic.."

The door closed behind them. "Let me introduce myself, I am the head archivist, I make sure all the potentials get sorted into the appropriate files..this last cluster of realities has taken quite a toll on Miss, and I will be glad when things return to something like normal."

Hermione was somewhat stunned at the maturity and seeming sanity of this version of Luna.

She was led into a maze of halls, all branching out into various directions.

"Over this way, it seems that you and your mate have become a part of us, in more ways than one."

They stopped at a branch. There was a stone arch, with oak doors, with runes and odd symbols carved on it. There were fairies and nymphs fluttering around, in and out of the foliage that was growing over and around the stonework.

The door opened.

"The first door. It is sealed. I do not know why, but even I cannot access it, I suspect something traumatic."

The archivist, who looked like a librarian looked at her clipboard over her gold rimmed glasses.

"As far as I can tell, this potential occurs sometime within the next year."

she looked apologetically at her guest. "I am on unmarked paths here, as a seer, most who have a gift cannot see anything about themselves, but can sometimes infer what the path is by looking at the negative space, as it were, by looking at the shape of what is not there."

"However, this seems to be out of the ordinary." she walked down the hallway, toward the next doors, some of which were closed, but some were open.

Her heels clicking on the floor, she kept talking.

"Something is missing ahead, a great absence and quite a bit of pain behind these doors, again, we have not tried to enter."

"Here we are, the first open door."

They stopped and saw inside.

There in a room that Hermione recognized as part of The Keep's private rooms, Harry and Hermione sitting on a couch and Luna laying on their laps, sleeping, and tears running down all their faces. Luna's head was in Hermione's lap, and her body in Harry's, his hands clutched in hers.

The next door showed Harry leaving from the private quarters where it looked obvious that the three were living together. Hermione reading and writing something, Luna curled up with a book in her lap, petting Crookshanks and what was obviously two bedrooms in the background.

All in all it looked like a family flat in The Keep.

The Hermione in the memory jumped up , because she had gotten a mental message of some sort, Luna jumped up as well, wanting to help, She ran to the wall and activated it and there outside was a visual of Shala on her island, under attack by some great sea beast every bit as big as she was, but without flight capability.

Memory Hermione grabbed her comm mirror and was calling people and making plans, as they watched Harry on his broom fighting off the sea-beast and protecting his draconian friend.

"Come" Guide Luna led Hermione toward a set of open doors.

Inside Hermione could see the three friends in a darkened room, lit by a few candles. She could see flesh, and hair. Black, Brunette and Blond.

Older, and more mature, but still, intertwined.

The memory faded. Archivist/Guide Luna faced the brunette.

"Now you know why Miss is upset and disturbed, she is just now reaching her womanhood, and these are new feelings and thoughts..

it is unfamiliar territory, and she is not so sure whether she wants this path to occur or not. The telling point is what happens back there" she pointed to the first door in the sequence.

"We do not yet know what it is, and if it can be changed."

They walked back to the first door.

Hermione's mind racing, stunned at the potential for a ..relationship with both Harry and Luna, and wondering if she could do it, if she was capable of sharing, let alone what Harry or Luna were willing or capable of doing.. Some witches were just a one wizard witch, no sharing, but not knowing the circumstances was frustrating.

"There is nothing saying that this path HAS to come to pass, so we will just wait and see, I think.. but what worries me is that my friend Luna is somehow hurt, and possibly damaged or injured.. I can see clearly that she is emotionally traumatized, and I don't want that for her or anyone."

"May I" she indicated the sealed door. Guide Luna nodded.

Hermione laid her hands on the door and let her senses flow out and around the enchanted wood and stone. She found some small gaps in the seal of the door, some underneath and some by the lock, and peeked, ever so gingerly inside.

She pulled back instantly, shuddering at the shock, her nerves jangling at the feelings enclosed behind that door.

"I need to leave, I think I know how to help Luna."

The guide bowed and escorted her to the front door.

"Thank you Miss."

Hermione nodded and pulled out of the girl's mind.

The girls were locked in place, looking into each others eyes. Luna's had returned to their normal silvery gray. She seemed at peace.

"Ok, Luna, I think I have an idea of what needs to be done, right now, you need to do your centering and meditation. I will be right outside waiting on you." The blond girl visibly calmed herself and began her deep breathing. As Hermione left the ritual chamber, she said over her shoulder.

"I've seen a blibbering humdinger for myself, I will want you to show me how it is you see these things, please?"

Inwardly Luna smiled, this opened up a whole new path of potential realities, hat she would enjoy exploring.

Hermione sat on the stone steps outside the ritual chamber, thinking and came to a decision.

_"Harry, Luna showed me some memories you need to know about."_

_I will show you two things, and I want you to do something for me, please._

_"Anything for you, love"_

_"Set a squad of lycans, goblins, guards around Xeno Lovegood for the time being, don't let him go a day or an hour without some kind of guard, and assign someone to escort Luna whenever she is out of out of our protected places.. anywhere public._

_"I will see to it today, may I ask why?"_

_"Because if Mr Lovegood is not protected, he is tortured and killed while Luna watches, and she will be assaulted, terribly so, I do not want either of those things to happen."_

_"By who?"_

_Bellatrix Lestrange, and some others who escaped the roundup."_

she showed him the locked door and what was behind it, she showed him the attack on Shala.

She kept the memory of the three of them to herself.

_"On it."_

Mentally Hermione saw Harry activating his comm mirror and contacting Lupin, making arrangements, and she went on to her other thoughts.

/Shala?/

/Yes, child?/

/I want to show you a memory a friend saw from a potential future/

/show me/

Hermione showed the dragon the memory of the attack by the sea creature.

/what is that, and how do we stop it?/

/an old acquaintance of mine/

/he is the descendant of a shipmate/

/not of the home world/

/so why is he attacking you/

/why do any attack?/

/power, resources, knowledge, control/

/can we stop him?/

/you may not be able to/

/he is very powerful, thick skull/

/no magic will work/

/so, it would have to be a physical attack to stop a creature like that./

/very much so./

/you might want to look up Leftenant Creevy/

This left Hermione wondering.

She wrote a quick m-email to Colin asking if she knew such a a person, and sent it.

Harry finished setting up a security team to watch over Xeno, well, actually he delegated the task, and Mooney called back over the mirror

saying that he was at the point of needing more people to train as lycan forces..if he were able to expand as much as they needed to in the future, they would have the largest standing magical army ..security force in the world. At present they were stretched thin with two hundred lycan troops, and something would have to be done.

Harry asked if werewolves were treated well or badly around the world, and wondered if they could import foreigners to bring into the fold, as the Potter-Black conglomerate, under whatever name was spread around the world.

While he was talking he was sketching in his ever-present notebook.

There were initials. ILMM and over the initials, was a sideways eight, the symbol for infinity.

Under the whole image/logo it said

'Infinite Loop Materials Management'

He underlined it three times.

Hermione and Luna came up the stairs from the ritual/meditation room.

He folded his book closed and stuffed it away.

"How is it, ladies, excited about the new school and classes coming up?"

They had all talked to McGonnegal about the ideas for improving the school and the new classes and instructors, and how long it would take to get the new curriculum in place.

The Hogwarts elves were searching all the hidden places and towers finding the books missing from the library, things that over the years Dumbledore had decided were too dangerous to his plans, things he wanted no one to learn about, things he had wanted kept hidden.

One of the first things that McGonnegal did as Headmistress was call Binns into her office and ask him to retire as professor, and he was very happy to do so, He had been forced to recount the same useless knowledge over and over again for more than fifty years and never wanted to speak about goblins again. Ever. When asked if he was going on to the afterlife, he said he had a few people to haunt , some places he wanted to visit, but would cross over withing a few years.

McGonnegal wished him well and before he left, asked if there was someone he wanted his pay sent to, a descendant, or a friend, and he said that his entire salary had been stolen for the previous fifty years, in fact, ever since he was killed in his sleep.

"You were killed?, by who?"

"By Albus' little killer, Tom Riddle. He dosed me with a poison and a potion and bound me to the post, and I could not be released until the Headmaster or Headmistress of the School did so."

"So, you are saying that Albus was controlling Tom Riddle, in fact encouraging him to become a dark lord."

"That is what I said, Madam Headmistress."

"Oh my lands. No one ever realized how bad he was, he had us all fooled.

"Indeed he did, If I had been able to teach what I wanted to these last fifty years, I dare say there would have been no sleeping in my classes."

"I never knew. I wish I could ask you to tell us all these things, all this knowledge that has been suppressed.."

"Fear not Madame, I am not crossing over for at least ten years, I want to travel and visit all the places I used to know and visit the ghosts of the ancient places.. I dare say. Our young Mr Potter could help with many of those places, freeing people who want to leave this realm to finally be at peace.

"What do you mean, Professor?

"Young Mr Potter is the Master of Death, he owns the three hallows, you know. The Elder wand, the Cloak of invisibility and the Resurrection stone."

"I thought those were a children's story, are you saying they are real?"

"They are, and he controls them. He thinks he gave them back to Death and he is free of them, but he is not, he will own them and be The Master of Death until the day he lays his life down and crosses over voluntarily.

Binns got a grin on his face as she had never seen. "I suspect it will be when her time is over, he cannot live without her, you know."

"Miss Granger"

"The very one."

"My gods, it's nice to be free of that room and that bondage.. I wish I could dance with you Minerva, you were quite the looker when you were a seventh year, still are, in my opinion."

"Thank you, Professor, I must apologize, I never knew your first name, no one did, and it is not in your files..it just says . It has been a point of discussion for years, wondering what your name is."

"Well, I suppose, since you ARE Headmistress.."

he bent over and whispered it in her ear.

Her eyebrows went up to her hairline and she snorted, but kept herself from laughing.

The portly ghost started to fade. "I shall see you in a month or so, Minerva, stock up on dictation quills and parchment, I have a lot of history to tell you."

and he was gone.

She shook her head and actually laughed and applied herself to the huge stack of paperwork that needed done.

Harry stood and summoned a crate from storage. "I am going to go and see Mr Filch, anyone want to come along with me?"

The girls did not and returned to their studies, carefully stepping around the emotional stresses of the earlier evening.

Harry met Mr Filch at the door of his office. "Good evening Mr Filch, I said I would see you tonight and I needed to get away for a while, I have some things for you to use." He indicated the crate that was following him like an obedient puppy.

He turned to the crate and commanded. "This is Mr Filch, obey his orders and those of the Headmistress, no one else"

The crate dipped it's front on it's stubby legs, and waited for orders.

"Sir, you will need to touch it on the Hogwarts Badge for it to follow your orders. Touch it and say "Open"

Filch held Mrs Norris and looked at the thing.

"I can't do magic, you know that, Potter."

"I know that, you don't need to have any magic to make it work, it works off Hogwarts ambient magic, the same magic that makes the stairs move and the lanterns float in the Great Hall, and no one can make it do anything but yourself and the Headmistress, and me, of course, since I built it."

He touched the crate.

"Cleaning tools"

The crate opened and displayed a variety of tools, from dust rags, polishing compound, brooms, mops, the works.

"Every tool here is designed to work, based on the student's magic, it will clean whatever needs to be cleaned, but every bit of magic will be drawn from the student. I expect that there will be some tired students at the ends of a detention." He held up a broom and brushed the floor with it. The area was clean, spotless and the old ground in stains were almost gone. He brushed again two more times and the stains were all the way gone.

"The magic draw on the student is adjustable like this."

he turned a knob on the end of the handle. "Again, only adjustable by you." He turned it up to full and stroked a particularly bad spot where it was heavily traveled. "The power drawn is about the same as heavy spell casting, I could do this for a while, but a third year, probably about three sweeps before they are worn out."

He handed the broom to Filch. Mrs Norris moved up to his shoulder to watch. Filch turned the knob up and down.

"There is seven divisions separated into three levels each. Low, Medium and High, This is both a punishment and a tool to help the students.

"Seven divisions?" "Yes, seven first for firstie, seven for a seventh year.. don't want to harm a person with too powerful a draw on them."

"You understand that lifting weights can help you build muscle?"

Filch nodded. "This will help the students build magical strength. You might want to tell them that the stronger they are physically, the stronger they will be magically, I have noticed that Wizards are a lazy lot and no one does anything physical if they can help it.." he grimaced. "In the muggle world you see kids the age of the students here, fat and out of shape, waddling down the sidewalk, stuffing their faces and getting fatter."

He took the broom and put it back in the crate.

"All the tools are like this, adjustable and makes the subject work both magically and physically."

Filch nodded, but said nothing, an untelling look on his face.

"Here is one that will really help the school."

He pulled out of a special compartment a box. Well, it looked like a box.

"This is a paving stone maker. The student places it on the ground where you want the paver to be, and he has to push his magic into it until this rune lights up. When the Rune lights up, that means the paver is finished, and he can do the next one. It has one power setting, and I expect a firstie could do two or three stones before they are too tired to do another. This is a potentially hazardous tool, so it has a medical monitor charm on it,if the student is not able to make it work, it will not work, you don't want to send anyone to the infirmary for magical exhaustion."

"Won't it make the stone something to trip over?"

Filch asked.

"No, that's the beauty of it, it will sink in so it's flush with the ground, so if the path up from Hogsmeade is level, the pavers will be level. I suppose if we asked , you could have the Headmistress assign some detentions with the intent of leveling the ground, though someone would have to teach the spell for that."

"That sounds useful.. can we see it work?"

"Sure, lets go."

The odd couple went out the main doors of the castle and stood on the dirt road going down to Hogsmeade. The crate faithfully followed along behind, like a wiener dog with short legs.

Harry placed the creation at the base of the front steps and set it level, and touched his wand to the center rune. "There is no spell, just push magic into it."

The box slipped down and was flush with the surface of the road. The rune lit up and it popped out of the ground.

" you pick it up and place it in line with the previous paver and do it again."

he did so and shortly there was another paver. He did about a dozen more, paving across the width of the front steps.

"The pavers are rectangular, and once set, will lock with each other, forming a solid surface, but it will resist frost heaves and potholes."

both men were aware of that problem, for this part of Scotland was prone to hard cold winters.

Filch bent down and looked closely. What's that written there?"

"It has my name and the date I did it. These stones will be marked with he name of every student that has this detention."

"Really? I expect the Weasley boys will provide quite a bit of pathway.."

"They might surprise you Mr Filch, well, at least Fred and George, I have them too busy doing other things to get into trouble..by the way, they helped me with building this, but they can't change how it works, only  
I can do that."

He handed the device to Mr Filch. Harry felt a jolt when he did, but the old man did not.

They put the device in the crate, which gobbled it up happily, eagerly waiting for another order. Mrs Norris jumped down from Filch's shoulder and onto the crate and curled up for a nap. The men walked back up the steps into the main doors of the Castle, the crate followed, keeping perfectly level so as to not dislodge it's passenger.

"Thank you, Potter, these will be a great help, as you say, it will help the little..students learn something."

They arrived at the office and the crate somehow grew in height and smaller in footprint, until it was the size of a filing cabinet, with Mrs Norris still asleep on top.

Harry sat down and the old man sat on his side of the desk. Winky made tea arrive silently.

"So, you said you went to Spain for your summer Holiday?"

"I was wondering, Mr Filch, who told you that you were a squib?"

before he could answer, Harry went on. "You are not, you know"

Filch spilled his tea "WHAT?" How do you know, What..how!

Harry held out his hand toward the older man.

The old man regarded that hand with fear and hesitation.

He gingerly held out his own hand, and before the two touched, a magical spark leapt across the gap.

FROM Filch to Harry

"You most definitely have magic in you, if someone told you that you were a squib, they lied. If you cannot do magic, then there is something blocking your magic.. I myself had several blocks on my magic up until I was killed yesterday."

"Now, I have to be careful doing anything magical, it's like I was carrying lead weights around forever."

"Look inside yourself, Sir, feel for the magic."

The older man looked into somewhere, into unfamiliar territory.

"I .. think I can see something.. like a glow from some far away window.."

"Move toward that light"

Later that night, Harry was doing his evening meditations, thinking about what he had found in the old caretaker's mind and magical core. So many blocks and compulsions and commands upon the old man, it was barely possible for him to act as a normal human being.

Harry determined that he would help all the victims of Dumbledore's scheming, and maybe he would be able to pull his adopted world back from the brink.

Hermione took advantage of the canceled classes for the day and entered the library. She gathered up the books and periodicals she had on her list for the day and went to the Smart Girl's corner.

She placed her armload in her normal place and a thought occurred to her, a remembrance of a conversation with Sirius and the portrait of Lily and James.

She looked around to see if anyone was around to see, pulled out the chairs around the table and crawled under it, and laid down on her back.

There in each corner and down the center line of the table were various runes carved and interlinked. At the head of the chain was a surprising rune, one that was surrounded by a crest. A Family crest. Hermione looked carefully at the carved crest and then at the ring she wore. It was the same.

The Crest of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter.

In the center of that crest was a rune. One that looked exactly like the scar on Harry's head, well, the scar that HAD been there before yesterday.

She noticed movement and looked over to see long legs wearing purple trainers.

"Hello Luna"

she spoke. The tall blond girl bent over to peer under the table.

"What are you doing Hermione?, looking for pillitweets?"

Hermione pointed at the carved runes. "I was looking at the work of the former SGC members.. it appears that the House of Potter is a predominant force with the intelligent women in this school."

Luna crawled under the table and lay on her back next to Hermione.

"I see, there, look at this one, a gender ward, allowing only females within a certain distance, but it is tied to the Potter crest as well."

"Yes, look here, there is an exception string..."

Some time later, Harry came into the library looking for the girls and found them there under the table with sketchbooks in hand as a camera as well, long sequences of runes drawn out, as if unfurling the lines of a tangled web.

"Ladies, would you two like to join me for a flight and lunch this afternoon?"

The girls waved him off. "This is too interesting, look, there's a..."

Hermione's commentary was interrupted by Harry crawling under there with herself and Luna. He laid comfortably on the stone pavers of the library floor and looked over the work that spanned back several hundred years.

Between the innate knowledge he had in the sphere of runic spellcasting, and the years of experience he had picked up when he and his avatar had questioned Tom Riddle's horcrux, and combined with all the other sources of knowledge, he pointed out the path that led back in time, as it were to the first set of runes added to this table.

It was warded against people with inferior minds, it was warded against males in general, with the exception of the Potter males, for some reason. Harry was beginning to recognize the different styles of rune carving, and when he came across some that he recognized as his mum's work, he just laid his hand on the phrasing, and said nothing, but the two girls knew.

He broke the silence. "A person could write their mastery thesis based on what's under this table, you know.."

"Well, well, what do we have here?" an amused voice broke their reverie.

They peered around the edge and saw a laughing Daphne Greengrass smirking at them.

"Quite the sight, three pairs of legs protruding out from under the table, what is it, I wonder? Some poorly worded spell?. Some unusual sexual shennanigans?, a dastardly plot of some sort?. "

The embarrassed trio rolled out of their supine study, and got to their feet, hastily placing their assorted study notes on the table.

"We were studying for our Runes Mastery, next time you should join us"

Harry gave Daphne a grin and the girl flushed.

"I'll just bet you were, Potter." she looked at the two females

"Remind me again why we hang out with this prat?"

The furor at the Ministry quieted down. The Tribunal made it's decisions about how to make their rulings and the sentences to be carried out.

They had decided that a Marked individual was beyond redemption, and as such was to be removed permenantly from society.

There was some discussion if that meant executing the person or if a complete wiping of the mind was sufficient.

The Department of Mysteries had some spells and magical methods which could do just that, and return a person to newborne status, and it was a varient of that spell cluster hat had been used on the de-aged Dudley, now Archie Harrison.

When asked for his opinion, Harry said the didn't mind if they could be sure that there was no possibility of a former Death Eater remembering, or acting in their former manner. In other words, do much the same as that which had been done to Dudley, and watch the children carefully and monitor them for the rest of their natural lives.

It was found that Harry's dragontongue/parseltongue ability could manipulate the dark mark that Tom Riddle had created, and remove it from the body and magical core of a person, leaving the former evil out of anyplace to dwell.

Hermione suggested that this was an opportunity to quantify and study the nature/nurture question. She was sure that a person raised correctly would not be evil, but there were those who were not quite so sure.

Quietly Harry inquired about getting the prisoners who were de-aged placed into homes of magical light sided people in other parts of the world, with blood adoption to help overcome any genetic or familial characteristics.

After much arguing and finding out the capabilities of the prison spheres, and stasis spells, The Tribunal approved a limited number of test subjects, and the remaining prisoners minds were to be completely wiped and put into stasis until suitable arrangements could be made.

Just because they had caused much death and destruction was no reason to keep them from helping the magical race of humans.

Someone, suggested turning the males all into females with the appropriate potions and runes and basically turn the entire collection of Death Eaters into a squad of mindless human incubators, taking donations of magical sperm from around the world and breeding some diversity into the British magical community. A maternity incubator with over a hundred magical female wombs, ready to create life

Being that most magicals were still stuck in the nineteenth century at best, this was shocking and thought to be quite mad, and when the bloodline of the person suggesting the idea was discussed, the traditional response was 'oh, a muggleborne, of course'

Privately this idea was considered by Harry and his inner circle, and he wrote copious notes in one of his notebook/idea journals. Along with arguments both pro and con.

A more pressing matter, at least on Harry's mind was the potential for an attack on Xeno Lovegood. Hermione showed him the memory she had extracted from the blocked area of Luna's mind.

They did not want to do anything to disturb their friend, and made sure to never mention it in her presence.

They made sure there was a continuous watch on the maps to the public magical areas of the nation, watching for the few uncaptured Death Eaters, an occasionally captured one who was sloppy or unwary enough.

Lupin looked over the charts listing captured and uncaptured, sympathizers and supporters, and then correlated the facts he knew with the maps and other information sources.

A thought occurred to him, he got out his comm mirror and called Sirius.

After having greeted his old friend, Mooney asked:

"You are The Lord Black, Correct?"

Sirius nodded, wondering where this was going.

"You are the Lord of ALL Blacks, and have the right to command them, correct?"

"That's true, why do you ask?" Sirius was beginning to get a glimmer of what Mooney was thinking.

"We have received intelligence recently that there is a good possibility that Bellatrix will attack and kill someone valuable to our cause soon, if you can order her to stand down, that might solve a few problems, in fact it would solve quite a few problems."

"Tell me what you think I should do"

Sirius had learned a small bit of restraint since his run-in with the Aurors and the Minister at the beginning of the Tri-Wizard.

In truth, if he had been given this idea back then, he would have summoned her on the spot and they would be now battling a furious and insane witch.

"I would like to set up some powerful wards at a location where we control everything, and take her prisoner. Do you think you could get her to accept a prisoner portkey?"

The prisoner portkey was the same as that which all the captured prisoners were given, sometimes while conscious, but more often unconscious.

"I think I might be able to do that., Possibly through Cissy."

"I'll get back to you in a bit, I need to write a letter."

From The Lord Sirius Orion Black

To Narcissa Black, formerly Malfoy.

Dear Cousin.

Dear Cissy.

I have been asked to bring in your sister, Bellatrix, to answer for her crimes.

You and I both know she has gone insane both with her exposure to the half blood dark lord Tom Riddle and with her fourteen years in Azkaban.

She takes some perverse joy in harming people, in killing for whatever reason, and this must stop.

I would like to ask you to assist me in this task, I would rather not order you as Head of the Clan Black, but ask as your cousin and friend .

As children we were close and in spite of the way we were raised, I would like to think we loved each other, and in spite of her actions, I do still want the best for Bella.

The truth is, though, she must be stopped.

All I ask of you as your cousin, and as your friend is this:

Deliver to her the letter I have enclosed, and in return I will promise she will not be executed, kissed or thrown through the Veil of Death.

Dear Cousin, Cissy, you were my only childhood friend before we went away to Hogwarts, and I ask you to do this not only for me, but for all the future generations of Blacks, as well as the rest of the magical world.

Yours, sincerely,

Siri.

Chapter 21.

End

standard Disclaimer.

I don't own any of JKR's characters, I am just playing with them.

For this I thank her.

I disagree, however with the ending of book 7.

TimW


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The Power (they do not use)

Fleur Delacour was in a tizzy, a somewhat rare situation for her, sure, in her life as anyone she had made some wrong decisions, such as following the floor of Black Lake rather than staying on the surface and finding her goal before diving .

She was getting up to speed on so many different things, personnel, payroll requirements, investment and income strategies, and Harry, no matter how much she loved him as a friend had an annoying way of creating new businesses and profits out of seemingly nothing.

Here he was looking over a series of investments in what looked like nothing more than garbage tips, places where expired automobiles were taken, and somehow, it was tied in with a chain of industrial parks all across the United Kingdom and parts of France and Europa.

She shook her head in frustration and walked into her mentor's office, carrying the armload of data being generated on a daily basis.

"Yes, Fleur?

Nolan Weasley did not look up from his bank of mirrors which each and every one transmitted some form of data to his eyes..

He was energized, a rare thing in his long career, he was seeing real time data from an assortment of sources, He could see ripples in the data incoming, he could see effects of decisions within seconds.

These were all promised things when the computer revolution had come about in the decades previous, he had invested heavily in the data revolution and there had made one of his fortunes, and it was daily generating new findings and methods.

Fleur was used to his eyes not leaving his data-stream.

"I am not seeing the sense of what Harry is doing here, Nolan, It does not seem profitable enough to bother with.."

Nolan raised his head and looked up at his apprentice.

"I thought I taught you better than that, Fleur, there has to be a link, a reason why and how these things are connected..now, lets see what you have, one subject at a time?"

Fleur went to the big board, well, mirror and pulled up all the data from across the interlinked network that the great consortium used.

The only spread of data-screens bigger was the one Harry used in his own offices.

"Well, lets see what we have. Automobile and recycling yards, a Ship Building establishment, very good, in the Potter family since the 1300s..Industrial parks around the entire UK and Europa..hmm 'Map'

he called out a command.

A large map of the UK and Western Europe appeared.

"Locations, all data."

The map adjusted itself to show a dot where each data point was located.

"Do you see what I see here?"

Fleur looked, trying to see.

"Non, no, sir, I do not, I do see that the locations are in each town over a certain size, noo, that is not correct.." she pulled up census data and a few other overlays.. "The locations are spaced out according to population density and , if I am correct industrial capacity."

She looked to her mentor for confirmation. Nolan nodded. "Very good, now, how much Muggle upbringing do you have?"

He asked this knowing that she was raised in a magical household and did not normally have any daily connections with the non-magical population.

"You know I am a magically raised witch."

"Just so, just so. Look here, the main industrial heavy users of steel and metals, heavy industrial production, and use"

"Notice here and here and here, industrial parks, in fact if they were any more evenly distributed, they could almost form a grid, and here, here and here, are the heavy industrial locations, all pointing toward here."

he pointed toward a series of steel mills that had supplied England since the Industrial revolution.

Fleur was knowledgeable in supply and demand, and how economics worked.

"So, he is collecting..something at these points and somehow moving it through here, and finally to here., but what?"

"Fleur, when you have an object that is become useless and soiled, what do you do with it?"

"I vanish it, every mage knows that."

"Very good, where does it go?"

"It vanishes..er..I do not know"

"You might do well to talk to Lady Hermione about this, Fleur, Get your cloak, we are going on a fact finding tour."

Hermione showed up at Fleur's call, wondering what the blond witch was talking about, 'where does things go when they vanish'

She met Fleur and her Mentor at the entrance to the suite where they kept offices, which just happened to be on the twentieth floor of the PIG building. (Potter Industrial Group)

"So, to answer your question, the short version is that when you vanish something it is sent into apparition space and it condenses out in a specified location, usually where nature will destroy it, a great deal of Europa's trash goes to Etna and is burnt up in the volcano caldera"

Hermione had learned to give short answers to questions and had found peace with the situation.

She had her own question, however.

"So, what brought on the question?"

Fleur began to answer, but Weasley answered for her.

"Miss Delacour is a fine witch and an amazing intellect, but she has not had enough contact with the mundane world, I am glad, Lady Hermione of your presence, for you may be able to explain things I cannot."

He led the ladies over to a glass wall on the face of the building, and pointed down.

"What do we see down there in the streets, people, vehicles, shops, restaurants, many things, correct?"

Both witches nodded, waiting for more.

"Mundanes build some amazing things, look out there, you can see ships on the Thames, coming in from the sea, to be loaded and unloaded, there is much going in and going out of the country on the sea, remember this."

The followed as they went down the elevator to the ground floor, past the front desk and security wolves watching over the building.

They were assaulted by the sounds and smells of the street, the noise and exhaust and the odors from the food joints nearby, the smell of garbage and grease from an alley, a large packer lorry picking up and dumping a bin into it's gaping hopper.

"See, that's where the garbage goes, into a big truck and the truck takes it somewhere to be burned or dumped or buried, and very little of it is re-used, even though near 95 percent of it can be recycled.. How am I doing so far. Lady Hermione?"

Hermione nodded, "This agrees with much of what I had learned in the public school system, and the potential environmental disaster and the costs of handling it.." she trailed off, and stood still in the middle of the sidewalk, realizing the enormity of what she was talking about.

"Let us step into the coach" Nolan indicated a large black car, with the security guard holding a door for them.

Fleur took Hermione's arm and led her to the car.

The security guards got in and the driver moved ahead, moving slowly through traffic.

"Watch the Lorry, it will lead us."

They rode for an hour, as the garbage tuck picked up more loads and finally pulled out onto the motorway and headed towards the east, finally ending up near Tilbury, where there was a power plant.

They watched as the garbage was pushed out into a pit and sorted , to be burned and turned into electricity.

Or so it seemed/

"There. Chimneys, they have been pouring out pollution into the air we breath, why?, I know that the UK Department of the Environment demands that they make it as clean as possible, but remember, London has been covered with smoke and pollution since before Victorian times, now, how would you, as witches, generate electricity cheaply, and efficiently without pollution?"

He gestured towards the power plant and the mountain of coal being unloaded from the seagoing coal carriers.

If you looked closer, and saw it was the opposite. The coal was being loaded ONTO the ships, and taken away.

The young women looked toward the dark piles, and Hermione got out her notebook and began sketching out a flowchart.

"This location is on the list, so it is involved, somehow.."

Fleur was looking over her lists of data points.

"Very good, so, you know that Lord Potter's latest business is somehow involved, both here and in the steel refiners, , what do both places have in common?"

The girls muttered together and finally came up with coal.

"And what is coal used for?"

"To burn, and generate heat"

"And along the way it adds pollution, poisons in the environment, expense and overhead in shipping costs, handling costs, trucking, etcetra"

he gestured at the conveyors and ships and infrastructure around them.

"Eliminate the need for the garbage lorry picking up and what happens?"

"A lorry out of the way of traffic, the expense of that lorry, the expense of the operator, the pollution it creates"

"And how many lorries?"

he gestured toward the line of HGV lorries entering the facility.

"A lot"

"Very good, now then, what to do with their cargo?"

"What are they hauling?"

"Paper, waste, metal, glass, ceramic, wood, food waste, all the debris a city makes every day."

"Very good, Lady Hermione, very good"

"Driver, next stop"

The vehicle moved ahead, moving up a road within the restricted facility, and entered into a great steel building, and pulled to a stop.

The banner on the doors of the building showed a logo.

ILMM with a sideways eight lying on top.

"This is the test facility, where Lord Potter is proving his theories.. Lady Hermione . I understand you had a hand in the creation of the basic process."

"Yes, I was there the first time we tried the sorting hoops, and we had to stop because the heat..being...generated..."

her eyes brightened.."You are creating heat by sorting trash, and using that heat to generate steam and electricity.. are the boilers at this power plant even fired ?"

He smiled. "No, they are not. This facility is generating heat by conversion, that is sorting of materials at a very high level, the ships you see are not bring in coal, they are taking away steel, aluminum, other non-ferrous metals, the organics are being rendered into almost primal levels and creating healthy farmland where there used to be garbage tips and polluted industrial land."

"What about the part that cannot be used for anything?"

"Well there is a certain amount of dross, that is used to make

building blocks which will be buried in the sea, as the foundation for a seawall off the coast of the Netherlands."

"Polders?"

"Indeed, reclaiming the sea to build dry land.."

"And how much are we charging for this service?" Fleur was calculating

"Quite a bit, Ms. Fleur, quite a bit."

The guard opens the door and they were escorted into a welcoming facility and given a tour, where they were able to see the whole process laid out on a great console, with numbers changing second by second.

There were samples available to handle, steel spheres one kilogram each, copper spheres the same, spheres of many of the basic elements available, sealed containers of various gasses extracted from the process. One of the material flows was a slurry of plastics and oils, all heading toward a rendering facility, by way of a tanker anchored offshore.

Hermione thought of it first.

"What about the jobs of the lorry drivers, the coal miners, the people who operate this plant?, won't jobs will be affected?"

"Indeed they will, Lady Hermione, but we hope for the better..you saw the many locations around the country, there is at least one trash collection facility in each area of population density, and someone has to manage and oversee those facilities, someone has to be the local pickup and take it to the local facility, as well as oversee all the local business facilities.. if you go to the first floor in the back of the PIG building, you will see a loading dock as well as a pair of trash compaction machines. Before this" he waved around him The lorries had to unload those daily, two or more lorries, blocking traffic, spewing fumes, costing money to operate, just those two machines replaced with one sorting manifold saves the Potter Industrial Group over a million pounds a year in costs." "Multiply that times the thousands of businesses in London alone,

ILMM intends to clean up our country, and make a profit at it, while healing the planet.."

Have you read the Kurtzweil-Pherenny treatise on healing of magic?"

Hermione nodded. "It states that where there is imbalance and poison from whatever source, when balance is restored, it makes magic stronger in that area, and allows for more powerful and healthy magical people."

She blushed, "Harry said it is like repaying a karmic debt, that repairing the Earth will make better babies"

She was still working on wrapping her mind around statements that Harry had made to her, some of which basically said he wanted to make lots of babies with her.

Fleur was pondering the machinery through the windows overlooking the plant floor.

She saw people moving about, doing tasks, monitoring various stations.

"How many people working here are magical?"

"Very few, Ms. Fleur, although almost every one has a magical relative or knows about the wizarding world."

The few who do not have a relative or knowledge of the magical world,

all are signed on with a non-disclosure agreement."

He waved at the ancient power plant.

"This facility had been shut down and was to be demolished, but Lord Potter acquired it on a temporary basis, with promises to generate electricity without the output of pollution gasses."

By this time next month the only thing coming out of this facility will be a wisp of steam and a lot of money."

"And the output of materials?"

"They will be funneled into various industries and projects, I think Lady Hermione would be fairly knowledgeable about what those projects are."

Hermione nodded. "I do not know all of Harry's ideas, but I am aware of quite a few of them, he discusses most everything with me."

there was a silence for a moment.

Hermione spoke.

"Mr Weasley.. Nolan, yes, I remember"

He had asked her to call him by his name.

"Nolan, why do you call me Lady Hermione?, I am not in the peerage, as such, and I have no titles."

The older man sighed.

"Because, I think, it is a given that you will someday be Lady Potter, am I correct?"

he indicated the betrothal ring she wore which bore the Potter crest.

She nodded.

"Well, then, no matter what titles or names, young Lord Potter acquires, as his spouse, you shall be sharing in those titles, correct?"

again she nodded.

"I assume also, because of your own activities and creations now, and in the years to come, you may gain a few titles of your own, Degrees, and Doctorates, what I know of you is that you love knowledge and the acquisition of knowledge, not to mention finding out and creating better ways of doing various things,

there is so much potential for titles there, my dear, and I think you will not fail that challenge".

Hermione blushed at the words spoken over her.

Nolan turned to Fleur.

"Do not think, Ms. Delacouer, that I am ignoring you, because I am not, you have shown me a brilliant mind and a uncommon grasp of the lessons I am teaching you.. "

"Your star shall raise high in the firmament of the business world and I would say in not so many years you will surpass me in knowledge."

Fleur reddened at this.

"I understand you are currently seeing my cousin William."

she nodded

"I have great hopes for him also.. The association of you young people and Lord Potter will change the world, so it is my duty to train each and every one of you as well as I can."

"I want both of you to learn from my successes and also from my mistakes, especially from my mistakes."

The Black limo headed back toward London.

Headmistress Minerva McGonnegal sat behind her desk looking over lists, a great many lists. Lists of teachers and instructors who were available to teach, some part time, some full time.

She had met with various people and decided that instead of one professor teaching a single subject to all students, that beginning students were taught the basics by assistants, overseen by the head of each subject. It was a way for new teachers to get experience teaching, and improve their individual CVs. With more eyes watching the students, there would be less opportunity for the students to get into trouble.

The potions department was due for a complete makeover, and the people she had hired for the job wanted to make major changes in how things were done, bringing the potions curriculum into line with the world's better programs, starting out with safety procedures and basic reaction tables. The new potions classroom had each workstation at a protected table with vents and hoods, and a barrier to prevent outside interference, such as flying fragments or potions ingredients.

There was a review class scheduled for every upper year as well, and the teaching methods of the previous years was due to be changed.

Professor Elizabeth Hanlon was just short of taking her Mastery in potions and was quite excited about teaching seven years of students

and had been given a budget and several teaching assistants to make sure every student was well trained in all aspects of the art. Her training ,in both North America and three years in Argentina, gave her a wide variety of skills, and one of her leanings was Chemistry, the same chemistry taught in High Schools across America and Europa. She intended to bring together these two arts and make magical history.

There were so many things to be changed in the school, and she had been given a budget for a lot of it from Lord Potter and Lord Black. It seemed that Lord Potter had taken back much of what had been stolen from his vaults under the control of the former headmaster, there was now a surplus, however temporary, and he was determined to use it where it would do the most good.

One of the many things Harry had insisted on was, strangely enough, lighting.

He said that working under torchlight and in dark conditions was hard on the eyes, and made a person weary faster, so he brought in a Japanese invention, Toshiba light panels, which were connected to the school's magic, and put out what was essentially daylight from a clear blue sky all day, and when the classroom or corridor was not in use, they dimmed by half,

and this added advantage, eliminated quite a few hiding spots and shadows in the castle.

McGonnegal returned to her lists, and worked with Flitwick and Sprout and the new Defense master for the school, Allen Clearwater, a cousin of Penelope Clearwater. Each worked out schedules so that every student was able to receive the classes they needed, as well as the electives that they wanted.

The great mirrors and data-screens that were the creation of the marauders were a godsend, and the new schedule was worked up in a matter of hours, unlike the days it had taken in former years.

She sighed in relief, they would be able to open the school in just a week, and would not be losing too many students, except for those whose parents were now imprisoned and had no money to pay for an education.

It was rather ironic that the parents were residing in the school, since technically, The Chamber of Secrets was part of the school, while their children were not anywhere nearby.

This would be a mistake on Harry's part as well.

Narcissa 'Cissy' Malfoy, nee Black read the letter that her Cousin Sirius had written.

It worried her, because she had seen the news report of her son's actions against the heir apparent, Lord Potter and his humiliation and loss. She knew that Draco wouldn't take any advice well.

Since the capture of Lucius her life had gotten quite a bit better and she had more options as to her future, but this letter from Sirius could drag her fully into the areas of combat.

Her sister Bellatrix was certifiably insane, and angry. She had not been caught yet and was out making plans to take out her vengeance on the killer of her one-time dark Lord.

She looked at the letter that Sirius had given to her to be forwarded to Bellatrix, and pondered the promise he had made in his letter and wondered how he could possibly keep that promise.

Sighing, she took up a quill and wrote a note, and folded it, and sealed it with wax.

"Draco?, come here please".

The angry young man came into her sitting room, still suffering the humiliation of losing everything to Potter in a duel..Because of Potter and through no fault of his own, the Malfoy name was now nothing, the house they were living in was his mother's house and the money they had was her money, he could not get access to anything, and wanted to hire mercenaries to assault Gringotts to demand his money back.

Narcissa Malfoy, nee Black had decided to cut her losses.

She wanted to cut her ties with the Malfoy name and all the baggage with it, as well as the outfall of that marriage.

It had been an arranged marriage, and there was certainly no love lost when Lucius was killed at the rebirth of Voldemort. She had hoped she would be able to mold her offspring into something acceptable to polite society, but the boy had spent his formative years being trained by his father, and as such was an effective clone, in looks and attitude, but not in skill or intelligence.

She knew of the magical leeches her husband had saddled the two boys with to support her own progeny's magic, she knew that Draco was magically rather weak and had seen some of the medical issues that his father had kept covered up, that were common among purebloods. The frequent nosebleeds and the weakness of mind.

"Draco, I have an important task for you, for you to take care of your father's business and to enact your revenge."

she had learned to lie with a straight face when she was young, and looked quite the innocent while doing it.

"What is it Mother?"

Draco had been trained in the social graces, and was told to respect his mother's wishes, that is when they did not conflict with his father's wishes.

"I have a letter for you to deliver to my sister, Bellatrix. She is at the North House, with the Dark Lord's followers who have not been captured."

The young man growled as he recalled the lists of captured combatants, both marked and unmarked which were listed in the papers.

A whole section each day was covering the tribunals and the sentencing each captured prisoner received.

"What is the letter, Mother?"

He was wary, and wanted some confirmation it would help his cause.

"It is a letter from The Lord Black, offering her sanctuary, she is a Black after all"

Draco sputtered "He will capture her and have her kissed, he is the military governor!

"No, Draco, he promised me she would not be executed, or kissed or put in Azkaban, he made me an oath, or I would not have accepted the letter from him."

"How, why?..how can he do that?"

"He is a Black, Draco, Lord Black, and family is first."

"But it looks as if he is.."

"Acting like a true Slytherin?"

"Yes, acting like a Slytherin..Acting like a true Black..He had made himself trusted by the Muggle Government, and taken over the Magical Government, and is now the supreme power in our country.. what is more Slytherin than that, Draco?, he is solidifying his power, and the power of The Blacks..I am now Narcissa Black, due to your father's demise, and unfortunately the Malfoy's star has fallen, but The Black Star is on the rise to greatness once again.. Draco Black."

"A feeling of wonder flowed through Draco's veins.."You would..?"

Narcissa nodded. "I will, and I have started.. Let me read you the letter I am writing .."

she picked up a parchment from her desk.

"My Cousin, Lord Black.

Thank you for the letters to myself and for my sister, Bellatrix.

I also thank you for your kind offer to bring myself and my son back into the Black family, We will not fail you, Cousin, and we will support your plan. I speak for myself and my son, Draco, and I believe I can speak also for my sister Bella.

I look forward to meeting you again, dear cousin, and be at your side as you rule."

Narcissa Black.

She looked up to see her son's jaw dropping.

"You mean Black is working to rule over this country and the people?"

"I have just said that, I believe".

"we will get revenge for father?"

"If you wish"

"I do."

"Then I ask, will you deliver this letter to Auntie Bella?"

"Yes Mother."

He took the letter from his mother, and she hugged him and kissed his forehead.

"You are a good son, Draco, thank you. Now go."

he smiled at her, looking forward to his brave new future and she kept a smile on her face until he whirled away in the green flames.

She rose and went to a locked panel hidden in the wall of her study and opened it. There was the wardstones and the runes waiting to be activated.

She drew her wand and powered up the wards to maximum, and then modified all the access.

Herself, Sirius and Andy. She got out the comm mirror her cousin had given her and called.

"Sirius Black."

A moment went by and Sirius answered.

"Yes, Cissy?"

Draco has gone to deliver the letter. He should arrive there within five minutes."

Sirius looked away from the screen and spoke to someone off to the side.

He looked back to her.

"Good job, what did you tell him?"

I said you were a good Slytherin and YOU were taking over the Ministry for the Blacks, with me and Bella at your side."

"Well, that seems like a good idea, Cissy, lets do that. Now, you better get your other plans in motion."

"I am doing that as we speak, Sirius." She activated a series of runes that Sirius and his group had given her. And her alone.

She activated the last in the series and Sirius flinched. "I can't remember.."

"As it should be, Sirius, as it should be. Nevertheless. Narcissa Black lives at County Green, Bedforshire."

Her residence was now under the fidelius, with herself as the secret keeper.

"Thank you Cissy. I will be in touch." her screen blanked.

She closed the wardstone door and sat on her couch.

Activating her mirror she called.

"Andromeda Tonks."

– – – –

Narcissa and Andromeda rekindled their long separated relationship, damaged by the bigotry and control of her now dead husband and his young clone.

They sighed about their sister and her unfortunate pending loss, but agreed that her insanity was an untenable thing in modern society.

Draco arrived from the floo network to a curse thrown in his direction.

Only his youth and dumb luck saved him as he rolled away from the flames and huddled into a ball on the floor with his hands over his head.

"Don't shoot, Auntie Bella Don't shoot! It's Me! Draco!..Draco Malfoy!

The curses stopped. There in the doorway of the room where he had landed a Death Eater he recognized from his father's meetings stood, wand drawn Before him was a wild haired woman in tattered robes, her eyes wide with frenzy.

"Prove it, how do I know you are little baby Dracy poo?"

"Um, I, I have a letter from my mother for you, She asked me to bring it to you!" he hardly dared look up at the imposing woman, fearing her next spell.

Suddenly she was as sane as the average witch.

"Oh, hello, Nephew, how kind of you to visit. You say you have a letter for me?"

Draco got up on his hands and knees, looking up at the imposing woman. The insanity was gone from her eyes and she looked surprised at his posture on the floor.

"Get up Nephew, show yourself proud as a Pureblood, have pride in your appearance and stature, remember, you were born to rule, not grovel like a mudblood".

Draco cautiously stood and made no sound, so as to not set off the precarious balance point his aunt had seemed to reach.

"Yes, Auntie Bella, I have it right here"

He slowly reached inside his robe and pulled out the parchment and gently laid it on a side table where one of her henchmen stood.

With a regal nod from the woman, the henchman did a _Revelio_ spell to detect any traps or strange magic

Satisfied he nodded, and stepped back.

Bellatrix touched the top letter with her wand and it opened, and Narcissa's voice spoke the words written.

"Dearest Bella.

I have wonderful news.

After the fall of the Half Blood pretender, Our Lord Black has taken control and wants us to be at his side as he takes full control of the Magical World."

"He has made an oath to me for your safe passage and promised that there will be no punishments, I have his word as Lord Black."

Read his letter and hear him out, Bella, I want to have you in my home and in my arms again, little sister."

Tojours Pur.

Cissy Black

While the letter read itself, Bella was listening, a pondering look on her face, and she did not come to any conclusion until the last line.

"Tojours pur." she whispered, a far off look on her face.

The letter from Narcissa folded itself and lay inert on the side table.

She peered at the other letter. The one from Sirius, Lord Black.

It was on parchment, as expected. The wax seal held it closed, and the seal had the imprint of the Black Ring. She recognized that imprint, it was her house insignia, the mark of those whom she owed her fealty and obedience.

Since the Imposter had been slain, the mark of that liar had faded, and was almost gone, and she felt no obedience of fealty toward that old allegiance.

"Well. This is an interesting development..I wonder what cousin Sirius has to say."

She tapped the seal on the document and magic began to happen.

The parchment unrolled and turned itself into a paper simulacrum of Sirius Black, It was the right height and shape, but was only two dimensional and literally paper thin.

The paper golem began to speak.

"Dearest Bella,

As Lord Black and your favorite Cousin, I invite you to join me at my side as we take control of the magical world, which has handed itself to me with a ribbon tied around it.

I promise you that you shall receive safe passage and there will be no Kiss, Veil or Prison awaiting you. You are my favorite cousin and I need you at my side.

Please come. The activation word is Tojours Pur"

The paper cutout held out a hand towards the woman, and she felt the compulsion to reach out and touch it, as it was a request by her Head of House, and she did not want to deny that. The words soaked into her brain, and slowly she reached out to take the paper hand.

"Tojours Pur" she whispered, her eyes on some distant horizon.

The portkey activated and she was gone.

The paper cutout stood there for a moment, and the eyes shifted around, as if looking for enemies. Draco was about to say something, when it exploded into a thousand tiny blue balls of magic, which pinballed and bounced all around the room. With each bounce, the ball split and became two, and two more and, and, and.. When a ball touched a person, that person was whisked away by a portkey. The henchman were gone instantly. The balls bounced around the room, and out the door, and made their way throughout the house, bouncing randomly every which way.

A group of Death Eaters sitting in a hall eating looked up at the intrusion, and were slow in shielding, and shortly every living human in the building was gone, captured and taken away, by silly little bouncy balls.

When the image had exploded, Draco activated the portkey his father had given him, and he was whisked away before he was captured.

A time went by and the balls all came to a stop, and then as one, vanished with a thwip!

part two.

Fleur and Hermione ended up in Fleur's office, while Nolan Weasley went back about his business.

They settled down to tea and time together, as they had started doing since Hermione's Yule vacation in France. The women had become close friends.

"How did Harry acquire a power plant? I would assume that there are massive permits and arrangements to be made to make these things happen? Fleur cast a critical eye, waiting for Hermione's answer.

Hermione sighed.

"Harry doesn't sleep much any more, well maybe an our a night, but between the times he is working out and daily things, he uses at least 80 percent of his time inventing and reading and just ..it's becoming overwhelming how much he is packing into each day.. I have been learning many of the things he has learned, but he's a natural and I can hardly keep up..I don't think he will be doing anything at Hogwart's this year other than use the facilities, if you give him all seven years worth of any subject, he could pass his NEWTS within a few days.."

The power plant.. well."

"I knew something about that a month ago, when I asked about him shipping so many things from around the country.. I asked what was going on, and he referred me to 'the shipstone effect', he calls it..something from a story he read, where an inventor kept his secrets by having many companies supply only a certain part of an invention and not communicating to any other, that way no one can figure out what he is building.. The manifold he had built, remember?" the other girl nodded, recalling the huge mechanism with a series of rune inscribed sorting rings and all the large tubes spreading away from the receiving chamber.

"Well, he had enough parts to build two Manifolds, and had almost thirty percent more parts included in the process, which were not part of that invention, but will be used elsewhere for something, anyway, there is one point that has any real information on what is happening, and the construction crew worked inside a sealed building, and of them, there are so many hiding charms, no one knows what it actually looks like."

"From what I understand the power plant project has been 24/7 for over two months, and a few days ago it was shut down.. and ILMM took over."

"But how did you..we get permissions to take over, from what I have seen so far in the Muggle world, it would take years for the permits to be approved."

"Apparently this is a temporary research thing, it was designed to be taken down within a few months, and it got a temporary approval from the PM himself, as a test basis, and since Harry had promised there would be no adverse environmental impact, he could get away with it"

"But that building, the Manifold, all that work, it must have cost millions!"

Hermione got a look on her face as she was accessing a memory.

"Umm look up Project 4388, and the access to the file is 91979-Q

Fleur entered the numbers and saw the spreadsheets with all the data, costs and suppliers and personnel requirements..She had sheets like this for every one of Harry's businesses, from the Lycan security forces to the housing projects that he was building.

Her eye saw the date-stamps from inception to the current date, and also saw the output, and the income from that output.

"It is profitable already! Mon dieu, that is unheard of, any normal business, muggle or magical would take more than a year before showing profitability!"

"From what I know of this, it is only a Research and Development exercise, the fact that it is covering it's own costs is a plus."

"I should say so, The costs from start to date have been over a billion pounds, and in the last ten days, it has generated a potential five million, at this rate alone,withing the year, it could pay for itself!"

"Yes, that is true.. this is the most expensive project Harry has started, well, not really, because he has long term plans he has not started on yet"

Fleur's eyes were wide. "Long term?"

"In the hundreds of years, if not thousands."

"That is a long time.."

"Remember what Shala said, she has been here for more than 200,000 years, since she and her companions landed here."

"Why is he planning for so long a time?"

Remember the lunch during the Tournament, where Bill told about the tomb in Egypt?"

Fleur cast her memory back to that wonderful lunch.

"Remember what Harry translated from that Tomb in the pensieve?"

Fleur shuddered.

'_given the power to destroy all life, _

_do not open, but wait for our return'_

"So Harry is planning for the return of the Space Aliens to take away the captured demon?

"Among other things..yes. He is working on several things he has a vision of, all at once, but they all go toward a goal, which is lifting up Humanity and all the magical races to a utopian future."

Hermione got a far off look in her eyes.

"He is seeing the lost and the lonely and the abused children and the sick and hungry and he wants to make life better for all people, not just wizards or just humans or .. he wants to make this world the future."

She focused on her blond friend.

"It comes from his reading SF and dreaming.. he sees the possibilities and has seen a lot of the traps and dead ends that are possible..you know Luna is a form of Seer?"

Fleur nodded.

"Luna explained it to us, she sees possible futures, where an action creates a possible future, and then another dissipates.. she quoted to us an entire timeline that has ceased to exist , she described for several years from now, Harry and our adventures, where Voldemort is still alive, and we go around the country in a tent searching and hiding and being chased, and Ronald abandoning us,, that reality is now gone, it didn't happen, because OUR Harry started reading an old Runes book and started trying

to figure out how to do magic without a wand. "

"Really?"

"Yes, all he wanted to do was get past the Ministry and their laws, and look at us now"

They sat quietly sipping their tea.

"So, what does Luna see for our future?"

"I don't know, she doesn't talk to me about it, but I have been trying to help her.. there is a probable attack coming, so we are keeping her close.

"An attack?.."

"Yes, she saw it and then her subconscious buried it, Her father might be killed and herself assaulted, so Harry has a lycan security squad watching over them full time."

"Assaulted, by who?"

Bellatrix LeStrange and the remaining Death Eaters, the one who hurts her is Draco Malfoy, you remember him, the idiot who's spell hit Genn"

"That spell, although dark was something positive in the long run, I think"

Hermione grinned. "I agree, we would not be as good friends, and Malfoy would not have spent time in the Bastille.!"

The ladies laughed over that.

On the data screen that Fleur had left open, the bottom line number, kept rolling in an upward trajectory.

Luna had asked to spend time with her father, and the two were in private rooms with Luna's painting of her mother.

Selene Lovegood was grateful to the time and effort put into the painting she was inhabiting. Zoe Harrison had done hundreds of drawings and sketches and had captured all the essence of the person Selene had become over the years she had with her beloved Luna and Xeno.

The painting itself was golden with splashes of color, but overall it was warm and welcoming. She had stored a reserve of memories and had placed a shadow of her own personality into the memory she had given Harry. Having done this, she was able to synthesize new and original answers to questions, based on her own thinking and feelings.

The truth about wizarding portraits in general is that they could do nothing new or original, they were mere memories, and would repeat the same answers when asked to think of anything new.

A portrait could report what it had seen, it could respond to some stimulus, but if that wizard was a paranoid person when alive, then that portrait was just as paranoid.

Selene, however was still in the afterlife and when she was energized enough, she could visit her husband and daughter, just as James and Lily had.

–

"Hello Love."

Luna recognized that her mother always called her Love with a capital L.

"Hello mummy, How is the afterlife?"

"I have had some interesting adventures, Luna dear, I have things to tell you about. Is your father around?"

"I will get him.!" The young Seer hopped up and ran into the other rooms they occupied.

"Daddy, Daddy, Mummy's here"!

Xeno got up from his desk and quickly entered the girl's room and the family greeted each other.

After their family bonding, Selene spoke.

"I have a tale to tell Xeno, think young Harry will appreciate it, as well as the Quibbler readers."

Xeno set a dictation quill in motion, he was after all , a journalist.

"I was riding theAvalon Express and I met a young girl, Myrtle, to be precise, she had finally gone over courtesy of Harry and his hallows, and she told me of his dealings with the Old Man and his minions."

She spoke of Tom Riddle and Severus Snape as both Minions, since, in her eyes, Dumbledore had created both.

"I kept an eye out and while we were passing through Ragnarökkr and I saw them. Did you know that the evil trio are bound together for eternity?

Xeno and Luna nodded. They had seen a pensieve memory of the event.

"Well, if you want a laugh, just watch them try to walk. Each one wants to go their own way, and no one will cooperate with the other, , it's quite hilarious, they argue and fight each other constantly, and the gods and forces have allowed their victims access.. They are trying to move across a battlefield towards water, but they are surrounded on all sides, and the victims are taking their revenge, hitting, cursing, you name it, the three evils are getting an eternity of payback."

Did you hear them speak?

Selene nodded

"What were they saying?"

"Well, Dumbledore kept saying "I did it for my greater good"

and Snape was just cursing and cursing, I did hear the names Potter and Black frequently."

"And Riddle?"

"I am the greatest wizard, bow to me!, and Mummy don't leave me!

And several other things.. I got the impression that each of his seven selves were saying something different, it was like listening to a crowd."

"I wish that I could get a photograph of that for The Quibbler"

"I think I can reproduce it, Xeno. This will take a bit out of me, so if I can't make it back to visit this week, I love you both.."

Selene stepped to the edge of her painting and did a memory extraction, and placed it at the front of the image.

At first it was a grey mist, much like a pensieve memory, and then it formed an image, exactly as she had described. Xeno took a photograph and another just for backup. "These photos are priceless, taken from the afterlife.. amazing.!"

The image faded, and a very tired Selene Lovegood sat on her couch, smiling at her family.

"I am tired, my loves, I am going to take a nap, I will visit you next week."

Her image reverted back to the one originally painted by Zoe Harrison, complete with the limited interactivity that a wizarding portrait has.

Luna and Xeno hugged each other, and missed their mother/wife.

Luna carefully moved through her mental construct, greeting Fenton at the door and her Archivest.. She stopped at the entrance to the hidden memories, the hidden possibilities that had not taken place yet.

"This is not real, it is only a possibility." she spoke to the door covering the hidden potential reality

"We have taken action to make this one fade, and it WILL fade."

she spoke forcefully, almost as if she were convincing herself.

"The lycans will protect us, and this will not happen!"

"HARRY will protect us. And my father will live!"

as she spoke she walked up the corridor looking into each doorway.

She stopped at the one with her living in the same rooms as Harry and Hermione.

A warm feeling welled up from somewhere deep inside her.

She spoke in a whisper. "I think I may want this one to come.. but not just how."

She looked to the left and could see the golden thread tying the images together fading. And the first door, the sealed door, the door where her father was attacked and he died, was transparent, and fading as she watched.

She looked in and her image faded from the cozy room, and that room also faded, as did the one to her right, the one where she was intertwined with the couple.

She sighed and entered the nexus where the Archivest waited for her.

"I suppose it's for the best, I am glad my Daddy will survive..the idea of a relationship with them was growing on me.."

In a steel shed on the coast of England, a great magical machine spun, Seven levels of runic inscribed rings twisted space, and severed atomic connections, and individual clumps of matter floated free.

As they were drawn down by the gravitational pull of the Earth, they were captured by a runic Accio spell, and drawn toward an anode, a magical attractor, one for each major element, one for iron and iron based compounds, one for copper based, one for cellular organic matter, one for long chain polycarbons, one for hydrogen/oxygen.. water.

Hundreds of Anodes, between each layer, switching spells directing the path.

As each went through each of seven levels of sorting, it was rendered down until it was at it's smallest form.. at the very bottom of the stack, pure elements were condensing at the anodes, and siphoned off to their correct storage..

This all generates heat, a great deal of heat. All around the manifold, were pipes, pumping water, water that was converted to steam and that steam was spinning the turbines that had been in place for almost a hundred years.

There would be a day when the long line of lorries and machinery heading into the gates of the compound would themselves be pushed into the pit to be rendered down into elemental potential.

Amelia and Sirius were talking.

"I say we need to better define the sentencing for the crimes, It is not fair to punish an entire family for the sins of one member!"

"But they are probably unmarked supporters, it stands to reason, Amelia!"

"If that were true, Sirius Black, then you should have stayed in prison for your cousin's sins as well as your brother's, Regulus was a marked Death Eater and Bellatrix IS a marked Death Eater, besides being insane..is it fair to take all the Black wealth and properties because their sins?.. the money would go to a good cause!"

Amelia Bones stood over Sirius, with her hands on her hips and a determined look on her face.

Sirius wearily leaned his face into his palm. He sat back and sighed.

"Very well, I will agree to what you ask, but before I sign off on turning the properties and money over to the families, I want questions asked with both veritaserum and an oath..agreed?"

Amelia grinned in satisfaction. "I'm glad that you are seeing things my way for once, Siri, trust me, it will pay off. You can't just assume every family member is a DE, look at your own mother, you are just about as far as can be from the way she thought, and you seem to have survived fairly well."

"Have Pembroke form a committee to define the sentencing parameters, I want to get these trials over, sitting day after day hearing about the atrocities they did is making me cold and angry. I don't want to be cold and angry for my family."

This statement piqued Amelia's interest.

"Family?"

Sirius nodded.

Harry and Hermione, Mooney, Jake and Miranda, not to mention Andy and Ted, and Nymmie."

Amelia raised an eyebrow.

Sirius noticed.

"Family is what you make it Amy, Harry taught me that.. James was my brother, my Blood brother, and his son is as good as my own son..unless I have a child of my own, Harry will be the Heir of Black."

He looked distant.

"Mooney is as much a brother to me as James was, but we could not do the blood ritual, because his furry problem.. and I was never trusting enough of Peter..why I trusted him with the secret, I still don't understand."

"Maybe the old man?"

"Yeah, maybe.. it's history now, I can't change it, but I can change the future, and I intend to do just that."

he looked determined.

"I need someone, Amy, someone to help me keep an even keel, someone to keep me from following my insane ideas.. I still have dreams from Azkaban, you know."

"I do. I wish I could help you Siri."

"I just need to get away from these trials for a few days.. they're getting to me."

"Me too, Siri, me too."

his eyes brightened at this.

"I have an idea..lets call a pause to the trials, let Pembroke have some time to get his committee together and make some plans, and go on a weeks vacation."

"I have responsibilities"

"Don't we all, but you have a comm-mirror, you can talk to your office, schedule an hour a day to deal with business and shut it off when the hour's up."

She pondered. "I suppose that could work."

"Jake and Miranda told me about it, it's called telecommuting, where the person works from home."

"Ok, I will try it."

"Tingle"

An elf appeared.

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Please inform everyone of a full staff meeting in one hour."

"As you wish, Ma'am."

the elf disappeared.

Sirius and Amelia were gone for almost two weeks before they came back, tanned and healthy looking, having spent time on the Riviera

and not thinking about their problems at home.

Percy had been organizing the new government, along with guidance from specialists from the mundane government diplomatic corps. They designed laws and defined offices that needed to be filled, and kept quite busy.

From the outside observer, it appeared that Percy was just a young clerk and assistant who was taking notes and running tea for his superiors, and indeed, he did a lot of that, but his suggestions and comments wee just as valid and welcome as the oldest on the team of people setting up the new magical government.

Arthur met daily with his son and the other members of the team, and they asked the Royal government for more advisers who were qualified to help set up the new way of doing things, while maintaining the Secrecy.

The consultants, to a man (and woman) were quite excited about building a new government, and bypassing the many rules and regulations tying he mundane government in knots, as well as the years of corruption and nepotism favored by the old Ministry.

Brave New Worlds indeed.

Harry retreated to his hidden tower above Gryffindor House, and continued with his daily routine. Meditation, workout and training, reading multiple books a day, sketching in his notebooks and journals, and messing about with materials and runes and arithmancy.

He did however audit a few classes, Professor Hanlon's potions classes, from the beginning reviews and remedial potions as well, just to get the hands on experience with doing it right.

He found that he quite enjoyed potions and became quite good at it.

Professor Hanlon set up goal points to meet to be passed on to the next level class. She expected a person to meet all semester goals before they could be passed on to the next semester's work, and thus it became an easy task for someone who was good a t the skill to advance to their own level.

It took Harry less than a year to advance from first year first semester to sixth year second semester level, and he could take the NEWTS quite easily if he so desired.

He rose from his one hour of sleep a night and took his morning run with the Lycans, did an hour of training in whatever they were working at, and then returned to Hogwarts to get on with his day's work.

He spoke with each professor at least once a week, and satisfied them as to his abilities and skills, and they in turn allowed him to either spend his time elsewhere or stay in class as a teaching assistant.

Those days were looked forward to by a great many students, because Harry's natural teaching ability.

Harry spent each meal with Hermione and his friends, sometimes at the Ravenclaw table, sometimes at the Hufflepuff table, and on occasion at the Slytherin table. Each place he went, though, Hermione was always with him, and quite often Luna as well.

Crabbe and Goyle were now out of the thrall of Malfoy and his magical leeches, and their dreams of becoming outstanding in their fields were making the two young men more outgoing and friendly, as well as somewhat fun tto be around. Crabbe now was heard to speak on occasion, and when he did it was usually quite funny.

Both had acquired female companionship, Goyle was now spending much time with Millie Bulstrode and Crabbe was quite fond of Pansy Parkinson.

Harry had promised both of the Slytherins apprenticeships in their chosen fields, Goyle had spent the summer learning farm management and a secondary in livestock management. Crabbe had been sent to a three week school in making held in San Francisco California, and had been a guest in Genn's home overlooking the bay.

Genn was delighted to let the young man stay at the house, since she was there with her elf and one other girl who was working for Nolan taking care of Potter business in America.

Whenever he was not at his classes in the strange country, Vincent Crabbe was using his mirror to talk to Pansy..the young Slytherin girl was one of the few people who ever heard Crabbe speak more than three words together.

Back in Hogwarts Castle, Harry spent as much time as he could with his girlfriend.

He was however quite surprised one night when he was lying in his cot in the tower, he felt Hermione crawl in there with him, and wrap herself around him.

She whispered in his ear as he felt his pulse throbbing in his body.

"I'm not quite ready to go all the way yet, love, but will it be all right if for now we just..."

her words trailed off but her hands spoke volumes.

His hands replied in kind.

He whispered back.

"Whenever you are ready, I'll be waiting."

He slept more than an hour that night.

Harry laid there in the bed, pondering all he had done and accomplished.

He had learned all manner of things that he could do with runes, he created lightweight temporary wards that could not be easily broken. He had created a potentially massive industry with his sorting rings, and

the other applications associated with the technomagery.

His mind went back to one of the few times when he was at primary school in Little Whinging, when the students were involved in a cleanup program, and he won an award for the most trash collected.

He still had the certificate in his trunk, in his photo album.

He had been praised for doing a good deed. Instinctively, he knew that what his project was doing was a good thing, and he could hear the humming of magic, quickening.

He read every day. Fiction, non-fiction, science, math, history, public school books, college texts, poetry, screenplays, Zines.

All this data, collected and wondered about. Applying microbiology to metal smelting, from aerodynamics to haiku.

He pondered things in rhythm when running with the lycans and training. His thoughts became music.

He had a radio receiver all the time, he loved music, he listened all the time, music from the world, music from the past and the classical composers, opera, and bluegrass, rock and dance music. Folk and gospel.

Radio Sunshine had an full time request line and it got to he point that Harry's requests made up a fairly high percentage of the daily music shows.

He worked on other people's ideas. HE remembered a conversatin with the King's mother and Regent. She was concerned with children around the world starving, and being involved in wars, bad water and no education.

He was thinking about his owm people, not just in the UK and Britain, but his own people, the magical peoples of the world, and their ancestry back to Shala's shipmates.

Back then, the great interstellar ships held more han just dragons, but also humanoids, centaurs, a great many magical beings of many sorts.

Harry felt that they as a race should take care of the damage and poo management of the host planet.

He was also worried about the tomb in Egypt that Bill had been involved with.

He was determined to be prepared.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

That night.

Harry sat on the bed, leaning back against the headboard, watching Hermione sleep.

They had advanced their relationship to a new level, not necessarily all the way to the third act of the play, but maybe to the intermezzo before the curtain rises.

His mind was a hive of activity, as it always was, all his internal avatars were working on their tasks, compiling data, working out solutions, planning plans.

He usually spent these hours in the middle of the night meditating and cross referencing all the intel gathered during the day.

This was how he was able to do so much in so short a timeframe.

While he was doing the physical things of any given day, internally he was making plans, inventing new and better ways of doing things.

In his mind, several of his avatars were working together to build a mockup of his next project, and were taking notes on the virtual version for when he would do the task in the physical realm. This cut down on false starts, and moved things along more efficiently.

He was in constant contact with his internal avatars, each and every one of them was fully capable of making independent decisions, of thinking for themselves, since they were all tied into his higher consciousness, and thus, tied into the internal essence that is the soul. If they had not had that connection, then there would have been no original thinking, no new concepts, and no learning new things. It had been proven that those without a soul could not enjoy music, good food, friendship, love, anything.. In effect, without the link, they were no more animated than a painting hanging on the wall.

The person without a soul was a drone, an inferi without being dead, without direction or reason.

Luna had achieved this level of mental sophistication as well, with the Archivest that Hermione had met on the one mental foray she had attempted.

Harry pondered the images he had shared with Hermione, the possible futures the young Seer had visualized. He recalled a conversation he had with Luna some time before,

""I see what I see, Harry, I see Blibbering humdingers where there is tasty magic, I see strange and mystical or mythical creatures no one else ever sees, and it's all quite real to me, I assure you."

"I don't doubt you, Luna, there are a lot of things I see and know that no one else knows, things that no one else sees, but the things I see are nothing like what you describe."

He walked for a while silently, the blond girl at his side.

"I am concerned about these potential realities you see, I mean, how far do they go, and how do you know which one is the right one to pick, the right one to help into reality, I mean, THIS reality?"

"I don't know, Harry, all I know is that this path leads to the east side of the castle, and that path leads towards the forbidden forest." she indicated the paths worn by hundreds of years of feet walking.

"If I take this path, I will be at the base of a large stone wall, and if I follow the wall, I will end up at the main doors of the Castle."

If I follow that path, I think that it will lead to the edge of the forest, but I do not know where it goes from there, as I have never followed it beyond the boundaries of the school grounds."

She turned and faced the dark haired wizard.

"Intellectually, I know that this path will lead into the forest and eventually to the Centaur village, but, if you had not eliminated

the threat of the spiders, would this path lead to certain death and destruction?"

she looked him in the eye and answered her own question.

"Probably, for the forbidden forest is a dangerous place to the untrained and unaware. But now, you have made it a safer place, for all the races, and because I know that, I feel safer and more likely to follow this path, and visit the new child in the village."

"So you see things, and are making some decisions based on what you 'know', am I correct?"

"You are correct, Harry Potter, and as I grow older and know more facts and information, my visions of the potential futures will be better informed and I will be better qualified to make suggestions based on those visions..do you understand"

Harry nodded, and they walked along the ridge towards the Castle.

They reached the boundary of the road to Hogsmeade and followed it up towards the main entrance.

"So, if you studied business and financial data, economics and such, you would be able to make some predictions concerning finance, business, stocks and the like?"

"I can see realities about what I know, and what is in my mental capacity. If I don't know about a subject, the potential can be a lot more vague, and I might miss something, other than, 'this way lies problems, and this way lies better chance of success', I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do."

"Don't worry , Luna, I am not going to try and make you a calculating machine or anything" he grinned. "Though we might visit the horse track and bet on a winner or two."

"Oh, yes, Daddy and I do that before every trip we take, We visit the betting shops and I pick the races, and he places the bets, and our trip is financed without much effort." she confided. "The Quibbler really doesn't make that much money, you know, it's more of a hobby for my Daddy."

"Really?, I would have thought it was his main business"

He opened the door of the castle for the younger girl and she smiled for him.

"The Quibbler makes enough to pay the staff and keep the printing costs covered, he also prints pamphlets, books, flyers, all magical , of course."

"That's something to think about."

Harry returned to the present, his memory of that conversation still fresh.

The memory of Luna's recent vision ran through one of the many threads in his mind. He 'saw' the cozy familiarity between the three habituating together, he wondered what set of circumstances would cause that scenario to come to pass.

He had done everything he could to protect Xeno Lovegood from attack, between the full time security squad protecting him as well as Sirius' capture of Bellatrix, and he subsequent imprisonment. He had spoken quietly with Sirius about the oath he had given to Cissy Black and to Bella herself.. not to allow dementors kiss, veil or execution befall her. Harry questioned whether this was fair to all the victims of the insane woman's reign of terror.

"I have a plan, Harry, trust me, and it will fit right in with your plans for the future."

that was all Sirius would say, and Harry didn't think it was the right time to pry into his Godfather's secrets.

Hermione stirred as Harry watched.

She rolled on her back and looked up into his eyes.

"Hello, love."

"Hello , my beautiful woman"

she smiled at him and his heart beat faster.

Her hand snaked up and around his neck and pulled him down to her face, and she kissed him an upside down kiss.

He did a shoulder roll and flopped out parallel to the young woman, and put his arm across her waist, and held her closely.

She stretched like a cat, luxuriating in his embrace, and turned to face him with a smile.

"I hate to do it, love, but we have to meet the lycans in half an hour..I'll make tea and toast." he whispered in her ear, kissed her cheek and hopped out of bed.

Hermione groaned and flopped back onto her pillow and pulled the sheet over her face, only the top of her hair showing.

Harry smirked and teased from the kitchenette.

"Don't be a grumpy goose, you know you need to do this, remember the commitment we made. Besides I saw you admiring the toned muscles in the mirror the other day.. it's like studying, if you want to improve, you have to work at it"

He spoke the whole thing with an overly cheerful voice, happily nagging at the young woman.

She sat up abruptly, slamming the sheet down as she growled out grumpily.

"I hate morning people!" and flopped back with the sheet up over her face again.

Harry laughed and put the tea and toast on the table for her and left the room speaking. "I'm going to turn on the shower for you."

from under the sheet could be heard: hurrrgh"

Harry was getting dressed for his workout when he saw a bleary figure wrapped in a sheet trudge through the room.

He stood at the bathroom door with a mug and it was taken from him as the figure passed.

"Twenty minutes. Love".

He laughed at the growl he received in reply.

Three hours later, stretching and warming up, five miles at a brisk pace, sparring with various members of the lycan squads, and then with each other, They finished up their workout with a quarterstaff exercise, Harry defending, and Hermione attacking.

He was working on her stances and her parries as well as her attacks.

They both whirled and spun, blocking and attacking, thrust and parry, the wooden staves thunking together.

"You are doing quite well, except for a slight tendency to leave yourself.."

he thrust his staff between her feet, and with a quick twist , she went flying, and landing with a roll was on her feet in an instant.

"Leave yourself open..did you see how I got past you there?"

She nodded, not wasting breath on words. She focused on the awareness of where her feet were in relation with the rest of her body, and nodded , speaking one word.

"Again"

This time Harry attacked, and she defended.

He was speaking as he did.

"I have come to a conclusion that this telepathy that I was having is a temporary thing, it only works when I am connected mentally with Shala.."

he danced and parried her attacks.

"It seems that the connection between myself and Shala works best when I have the little dragon with me."

He grunted as he had to duck a swinging staff.

"I can only work on a person's mind while I am directly connected with Shala, so the times I helped Parvati and Lav were an aberration..

He blocked one last time.

"We're done here, you have made progress."

He touched a rune on his staff and it shrank into a cylinder an inch in diameter and three long. He stuffed the staff int his bag and started to walk towards the barracks when he felt Hermione poke him in the left butt cheek with her staff.

"Oi, what was that for?"

"For making me get out of bed this morning."

"You know we need to do this as much as I do."

She grinned and poked him again.

"What are you going to do about it?, you're unarmed"

"You think?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

She ran.

That afternoon Harry was sitting in his office.. the office that had been his parent's offices at The Keep. He had gone through all the paperwork and projects underway when his parents had been lured away from the safety of their home. He communicated with the various agents that he worked through, finishing those projects of his father's that he could, and put aside those things that were out of date or no longer viable.

Today the wall had been turned into a mass of screens each of which tracked some aspect of the many things he was working on,

Internally, his mental council was convened.

He sat at the head of a great table and surrounding the table were multiple copies of himself, all created and busy, just as the very first avatar had been when he first went to speak with Mister Alexander.

Harry had discovered at that time , when he created an Avatar in his mental space, that avatar was just as intellectually capable as he himself was, that each and every one he created was capable of individual action and study, work and creativity.

In essence he was sitting with twenty copies of himself, every one concentrating and focusing on some aspect of the problems and projects that he was dealing with.

"Two?"

Harry spoke to the first avatar on his left.

"Thank you. The complete information dump from Riddle is now available, I have edited out the appropriate data, since we really don't want to watch his tortures of innocents. We have a list of external data to be checked and compiled, as we now have locations on several of his hiding places that he had planned for horcruxes, we need to have the curse breaker teams check for dark magic and secure those locations."

He waved his hand at the screen.

"All the general purpose knowledge is retained and available for your perusal at the usual locations" Harry and the twenty others noted the file locations and made plans to integrate that information.

"The last thing is this: I have located and noted every contact Riddle made in his career as a budding dark lord, and he had made deals with several persons who are not known to be Death Eaters, I want to forward this information to the appropriate investigators, just for the sake of verification."

The group all looked at the transcripts and list of names, and as one agreed with Harry2.

Harry2 sat at his place and the Harry next to him, Harry17 stood.

"We have several things going on at once which need to be tracked and monitored. The first is the 'Power Project'. He spoke of the electric power generation project, fueled by magic and the trash recycling manifold.

"The manifold in this variant is a success, converting heat into steam at a 50 percent or better rate, our output temperatures are just a few degrees higher than half of what the actual manifold is generating, what we are currently looking toward is more efficient use of Mana, or another way to generate mana to replace what was lost"

Harry understood that Mana was being referred to as magic, that which powered the conversion process, and had several conversations about depleting the magic in the world, when his goal was to increase the magic, in both the world and it's people.

The Magic that inhabited the Earth was of two types, that which came from the Earth itself, natural magic, and that which came with the Dragons when they had arrived her over 200 thousand years ago.

He saw his goal and purpose was to increase the level of magic in the world, in both the people and the world itself.. He glanced at one of the other avatars which had that plan as his main area of study, and a wash of data flowed through the eyes.

He spoke up, dragging his thoughts back to the speaker and project at hand. "So being a successful test, why are we shutting it down so early? Why not keep it going?"

Harry17 lay down his notes and spoke.

"The Government and the powers that be. They want immediate nationalization of the power plant project, for they see it as a holy grail to fix many of their problems, clean trash disposal, nearly free electricity, less pollution, and they can see there is a fortune to be had by charging for both ends of the process. They are being short sighted in that this is only a test program, and as such will be removed by the end of the month"

"In short, we think we do this so much easier, as it stands, the queue of lorries bringing their loads to the drop off site is creating traffic hazards, and then there is the handling of the various masses, product of the sorting chamber."

His internal vision saw the ships anchored offshore with the conveyors filling the holds

"We have contacted the appropriate technical people in the UK power grid management to warn them not to count on our input after a certain point, but that is being kept close to the chest, the people pushing for our nationalization are several Ministers in the House of Lords, it seems that the politicians on either side of the statute of secrecy are susceptible to greed and or malfeasance."

"I see, so, what of the actual manifold itself?"

"It will be put into an upcoming project, off the coast of Mauretania, 42 has contacts there in the magical community, and they wish a separate Homeland for the magicals in that part of the continent."

Harry quirked an eye toward Harry42 who understood he was up next.

Harry 17 continued

"There is an island under construction which will be the base for the manifold, and plans are being made for and with the people of that area.. 43 will fill you in." he nodded toward the Harry in question.

"What do you mean 'island is under construction' ?"

"The output from the manifold is separated as designed into basics, iron based and ferrous products, which go to the steel industry and construction, Copper alloys, Aluminum alloys, various metals. The organics are separated out and sent to the compost heaps, heavy metals and toxins are also separated and contained for the environment's sake."

"When all this is done, we have a dross left over that isn't really anything that we initially knew what to do with, it is inert, neutral, non porous, and fairly lightweight.. One of ours has created a way to use this material, by extruding it in tubes, each tube is bearing a center core of monolink carbon as a conductor, and then all the tubes are aligned into a mat, circular, as big as you want it to be, anywhere from ten yards across to ten miles.. The mat for the Manifold is at present four miles across, and ready to receive it's lodestone powder."

That was a project which excited Harry since he and Sirius had investigated the crashed Black Island in Wiltshire. They had collected several hundred negative metric tonnes of lodestone, and stored it for study purposes, things from flying houses and cars to interstellar generation ships heading out between the stars.

"I will want to see your technicals on this mat soon."

one of the Harrys nodded.

Harry asked the most obvious question.

What do they get out of it?

"a magical homeland for the indigenous peoples of the Western African Sahel and Sahara desert.

How will that work?

"Offshore of Mauretania are over 3000 abandoned ships and watergoing craft. The area is horribly polluted and there is a significant lack of water , seeing as it is the edge of the Saharan desert."

"We get to collect several million tonnes of steel and ship materials, and while we are at it, we will be cleaning the pollution out of the water. The outlet for the newly filtered water is going to be in a cave in the mountain range inland, and the new waterway will be the basis of a new civilization. The wards and water channel are already being formed out in the desert." All the organics from that area will be redirected into building soil for growing crops.. it is the right thing to do, since the Sahara used to be a green and productive land, but some dark elementals were fighting a battle there and destroyed much of the territory.. we are rebuilding the area to bring back the magic. Once all the shipbreakers' mess is gone, the manifold will be run full time as a water decontamination facility."

"Well, that is apparently a good thing with the Government thinking about nationalization" "What of the local governments in that area?"

"The new magicals controlled lands will be hidden from the locals, via wards and charms.. few have the capability to cross the Sahara, there are huge areas where there has not been any exploration."

"sounds like a perfect place to hide a civilization."

There are already cities there that none of the mundanes know about, we already have an invitation as they asked Shala to come as well"

"We'll consider it. Speaking of Shala, what's her status, I have not heard her in several days"

"She is gathering her memories and personality into her egg, it will be a month or so until it gets laid, and then we have a year gestation to protect it, and then four to five years after that while she grows into her new body."

"So I won't be able to speak to Shala for at least six years.."

"That would be correct. She has stretched her latest body to it's limits.. once she has transferred her essence into the egg, she asked that we remove the old body, and use it as we see fit"

"That's cold, isn't it?"

"She thinks of it as throwing old clothes away, and wants us to do this for sanitary reasons."

"I still don't quite understand this transfer thing, but if you say so"

"The short version is the golden dragon egg is a mythos based on reality.. a Dragon can lay eggs without any male to fertilize them, the term is parthenogenesis." Those eggs will hatch and be females or males depending on the availability of food and shelter. The Golden egg, that was copied for the Tri-Wizard Tournament is a once in a thousand years kind of thing, and that egg will always produce a queen, a leader for the race of dragons." The Queens pass on knowledge and intelligence, while the 'normal' eggs are just cattle so to speak, mildly intelligent and potential to grow, but numerous. If there were wide ranges of hunting grounds and nesting sites available, then we would be overrun with dragons. That's why they don't protest too much when humans hunt dragons."

"You are sure of this?"

"Shala told me herself."

"I suppose. Anything else on the docket for tonight?"

"Luna and Hermione"

"What of them.?"

"Full disclosure."

Harry sighed. "Very well."

He opened his memories of the night and day and all the avatars paused and took in the thread of images and feelings that he had felt with his beautiful girlfriend.

One spoke. "What of Luna, her vision and the potential."

They had all seen that memory, of the three of them entwined together at some point in the future. "I have set in place security so that she does not suffer the loss of her father as she did her mother, I believe we have averted that situation, and as a side effect Bella has been captured and is currently in the spheres" He spoke of the imprisonment and interrogation spheres down in the Chamber of Secrets. He needed to get in contact with Sirius about that, but his Godfather's time was taken up with the tribunals and the trials.

"Luna is very special to myself and Hermione. I do not know if we will ever be in such a relationship such as the one seen in that vision, but for the moment, I have no intention of letting that happen, she is only thirteen years old at the moment, and even if I did have a betrothal contract with her or any other witch, I would not entertain that just yet.. it doesn't seem right to me, history notwithstanding."

He had spoken of history as in places in the past where there were Potters who had been married at age fourteen and having children by sixteen, and as he was raised in the mundane world, that particular thing seemed wrong to him.

"I will offer her the House of Potter's protection if she desires, but that's it for the present time."

the questioner nodded in acceptance.

"Next?"

Harry 138 stood.

"Population levels are dropping, the purebloods are breeding themselves into squibhood, the wars going on have taken a huge bite out of the genetic heritage of the magical world"

"If every female capable of birthing a child were to be pregnant and reproducing magical offspring every twelve months, the population is too close to the edge of survival.. we need more witches to produce children, and we need a wider and more diverse magical gene pool."

"What do you suggest?"

"Advertising and marketing for a start, show happy loving families and bring in the desire to have children into our people, encourage the mundanes to bring us their magical children from whatever source, test everyone that we can for recessive magical genes and encourage them to breed by subsidies and whatever methods we can think of."

and another not so popular method.."

"Do tell"

"Incubators..use prisoners as baby incubators."

"We don't have that many female prisoners, in fact I think we only have three or four.."

"Not important, actually. There is a sex change potion that works, and is relatively easily made."

"So, the prisoners are turned female and then what?"

"It would work like the normal in vitro process used to bring Louise Brown into the world.. we take the best male and female genomes and create a viable mix and insert it into an incubator's womb, wait nine months and birth a healthy child. Wait a month and do it again, as long as the incubator lasted, every 11 months another magical child."

we have 431 magical prisoners held in the Chamber, that's at minimum 400 new magical children added to our population every eleven months, assuming a ten percent loss rate."

"What of the 'incubators' the persons made into females, won't they hurt the children or each other?"

"No, each will be mindwiped and put in a nesting box of sorts.. fed by tube and cleaned hourly, a perfect balance of nutrients and vitamins and minerals into the bodies, they cannot be classified as humans, but just as incubators, mindless birthing machines."

Harry 138 showed pictures of a female body floating in a gel in a clear container, a mask and tubes covering it's face, and other tubes elsewhere, tended by white suited technicians. The belly distended and ready to pop. The techs did some things to the tank and it slipped back, and with an unzipping motion, the belly was opened and the techs reached inside to remove a wriggling mass of baby, pink and healthy.

The baby was dealt with appropriately and handed off to a team of attendants, and the birthing techs stepped aside and new white suited figures stepped in and did a variety of healing charms and magic and closed the incubator's belly, leaving an invisible seam.

And then they moved to the next tank.

The pictures went away.

"These pictures are from a test facility in China where there are over a thousand prisoners held as incubators."

There was silence.

"Well, that's one way to deal with the prisoners, instead of executing them or tossing them through the Veil. I am not entirely certain that The Veil is appropriate to be used as an execution device. It may well be a portal or something else entirely"

the assorted Harrys pondered the thought.

"I have the entire report written up with contacts, ready for transmittal."

"Thank you, I know Sirius and the tribunal were having a hard time deciding what to do with the prisoners, we could call it community service. No one ever need know what happened to them, and we don't have their souls on our conscience".

One of the Harrys spoke up.

"Not that any of them cared about our souls or lives.. it would be a kind of justice, instead of a prison term with angry violent prisoners, something constructive."

Harry nodded. "How long will they live and produce?"

Harry138 read his notes. "It appears that the longest lived is still producing at fifty two years in service..55 children successfully decanted."

"I see. Write up the full report and transmit it to Sirius, I really don't want to think about it anymore.."

Harry138 nodded and went about his business.

Harry glanced at the clock and at Hermione, sleeping peacefully beside him.

"We have an hour before I have to go. Next?"

"We received a weekly report from Genn, as well as a reply from Charles Shepherd."

"Genn!, how is she doing?"

Harry was fond of his friend Genn both as a partner in the study of runes and as his date to the Yule ball, a well as his first real world patronage project.

He was quite proud that he recognized her talent and decided to be her patron as she pursued her apprenticeship with the world's most renowned runes master, Charles Shepherd of San Francisco

Genn Dubois woke early as usual and noted the light of day rising in the east. She dressed and made her way to the kitchen where the house's elf took care of her with a mug of coffee and a croissant, much as she had done the last four years at school. Beauxbatons, the premier European school of Magic, She gathered her light cloak and stepped out the back door of the beautiful Victorian house owned by the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. "Thank you Muslie, I will be late tonight, don't hold dinner for me"

The elf nodded "Very Well, Miss, have a good day"

Genn got on her bike and began pedaling. She was not like most magicals and apparating to wherever, she liked walking and riding wherever possible. She waited until the cable car passed, going uphill and crossed the tracks at a right angle, and then turned down the hill. She coasted, letting her speed build up until she had to cross the tracks again, and since she was going parallel, she had to jump to the right, lifting both wheels of the bicycle off the ground, and leaning to the right, around the corner, where she began pedaling furiously to keep he momentum up.. she could have added some magic to her forward propulsion, but she learned the lessons that Harry taught well, a strong body is stronger magically.

The only magic she used while riding was all defensive, anti-crash and anti impact wards, engraved in the frame of the bicycle itself.

The bicycle was a work of art, welded titanium frame, 21 speeds forward, with a Vurdabrok 22nd gear which she had never had the chance to use, or the guts to use. It was said that the Vurdabrok gear would take you to other dimensions.. she did not want to risk it just yet.

After pumping up a long hill, she coasted down the other side and withing five minutes was at Charles Shepherd's studio. She pulled into the courtyard and once out of sight of the public, shrank her bike and put it into her bag.

She entered and hung her cloak on the waiting hook. San Francisco mornings often had a cold fog and it was good to be prepared for anything.

She knocked gently on the door frame and entered the studio.

"Good Morning Master Shepherd."

Shepherd grunted, as he was concentrating on engraving a rune on a piece of stone on his bench. The stone was the size of a bowling ball and each facet had a rune on it. All 21 sides. This was one of Shepherd's moneymakers. He taught and he did translation and special engraving among other things, and this was one of his oldest products, a 21 sided tool used for scrying and divination, He had invented it before he had gotten out of school all those years before, and sometimes one of his oldest clients wanted a new stone to give to their own apprentices, and they hired Charles to fabricate one.

He finished the rune and sat back, groaning. He flipped back the magnifying glasses he had been using. "I need to get a different height chair, my back is killing me.. Good Morning Miss Dubois, thank you" she had handed him his fresh cup of coffee. He took a drink and sighed.

"Well, your work for this morning is connect all the sequences and activate the power runes, I have taught you all you need to know about this, and I think you are ready to do it on your own," His hand was laid on the stone.

"Thank you Master Shepherd." Genn was being formal..

He stood and stretched. "We are going out to eat at lunchtime, so you have about four hours to get it done, and this afternoon we will be going over a contract for your patron', so chop chop, lets get with it! He grinned at the French girl. She blushed and nodded and opened her toolkit and sat down to work.

Charles Shepherd sat in his office looking through he open window at the young French girl working away in the shop.

He looked over the specifications of the next project, the memories and the possible methods suggested by Potter's people.

The report was compiled by Potter's warder in chief, William Weasley, who had formerly worked for Gringotts and had a fairly good reputation amongst the curse-breaker and warder community. Curse-breakers, Warders, Runes specialists worked together frequently on all manner of projects because many of their specialties overlapped.

The reports covered a new and unusual rune sequence that had been found in Egypt, in a tomb. But it was Potter who translated the runes, and he said they were in parseltongue, As he watched the runes, they morphed and twisted in a hypnotic pattern. It was a thirteen step sequence, but it was indeed a sequence. Harry had to write out a description of each and every rune, since they could not be written down. If they were written down, they would morph, and change. He tried to write them down himself, but could not, apparently only a parselmouth could write them down. It was the most interesting puzzle he had ever seen in his long years as a runes master. He had attended the west coast' biggest and best school of Magic, the Emperor Norton School of magical Knowledge, and he had apprenticed with the oldest master of runes on the continent, and that his master had never heard of such a rune before.

The fact that only Harry Potter was available to read or translate the runes was annoying. He had to watch the pictures and translate on the fly as the images changed, as well as keep the other sequences in mind. In all he was watching and reading six different threads all at once.

Later that day.

Shepherd and Genn stopped at the UPS store and packaged and shipped the stone to it's final destination, and when they left that location the walked a block to a small diner. The diner was frequented by both mundane and magical patrons and no one thought anything of the master and apprentice sitting in a booth with a silencing charm up around them.

"Here is our contract, and the object of our next job."

Genn looked over the contract and the pictures included. She had seen this before.

"I know these pictures.. I have seen the memories of it."

Really?, when?"

"It was a party, a lunch really just after Lord Potter took me on as a 'cliens' he was shown the memory of the tomb where these runes were found. We all heard the sound, and it was quite frightening."

"I believe I heard about that lunch from Jack Golinard"

"Yes, he and his assistant were there, he brought his pensieve and Bill Weasley put the memories of the dig in, and Harry translated on the spot.. apparently inside that tomb is something that is deadly dangerous, and the runes were a warning."

"So you are familiar with William Weasley as well?"

"Yes, he is betrothed to my best friend, Fleur Delacour"

"I suspect we should go to England to speak with Weasley as well as Lord Potter.

"I can call either of them right now if you prefer"

"Yes?, how?"

She pulled out her mirror and called Harry.

"It is 1300 hours here, and they are 8 hours ahead of us, so it should be around 2100 hours there. Not too late I think."

the mirror cleared and Harry's face appeared. Hello Genn, how are you. How's your apprenticeship going?"

"It is well with Me "Arry, and my Master and I are sitting here having lunch"

"Really?, That's wonderful, what do you need?"

"Master Shepherd has said he needs to come to England to confer with you and William"

"Ok, sure, put him on"

Genn raised an eyebrow. "As you wish." her eyes darted to the left where she saw Hermione sitting beside Harry, wearing a light camisole and a sheet covering her lap.

Hermione grinned and waved, not speaking, a book on her knees.

She made the universal signal 'call me' and Genn nodded. ""I give you Master Charles Shepherd"

she turned the mirror towards the runes master.

"Good evening, or good afternoon Master Shepherd, are you well?"

"Yes, Lord Potter, I am."

"may I introduce my betrothed, Hermione Granger, soon to be Potter."

"Good evening Lady Granger-Potter. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Hermione's exploits were known to many in the magical academic world.

The list of companies and schools vying for her attention was growing by the day.

"Good evening Master Shepherd, I look forward to your visit."

the niceties out of the way, the conversation went forward.

"So, you want to meet with us as well as Bill Weasley, who else should we call to join us?

Well, Jack Golinard might be a good idea, as he is The wards master..

"I will contact him on the morrow, I believe he is still in the country."

Shepherd nodded. "I spoke with him last week, he is scheduled to go to South America next month, so we need to get this together before then."

Harry nodded. I have thought of a way to translate the runes simultaneously, all six strings at once, it will be txt only, but we should be able to compile the strings, I have been working with a newer program from Sun and I have created a document format that is viable, It involves hooking up a mental link with each of my avatars and letting them have autonomy in their actions.. I mean, if I can't trust myself, whom can I trust?."

Sheffield was still in shock of the threaded mental processes this young man had created in himself.. He had spoken with an American born mental specialist and that wizard/healer had heard of only a few other people in the world who had been able to use that gift.. Alexander Cromwell was one of those few, and he had been Harry's mentor in the skills of mental control.

"How many threads are you parsing right now, Harry?"

"148 online, 40 or so sleeping and around 50 on general internal maintenance."

Shepherd was slack-jawed. "You have over 200 avatars going at one time, my gods man, how do you do it?

The younger man grinned. "I have a lot of projects in the works.. what can I say?"

"I have spoken with the researchers up at UC medical school. They want to do scans on magical people in their MRI to see if they can define the parts that work different than mundanes, they would absolutely freak when they saw your brain working."

Harry considered this and glanced aside to Hermione who was listening in on the conversation.

She projected some thoughts towards his mind.

"Find out if your researchers would be willing to work with someone here in the UK, I am sure some of our medical researchers are just as good or better than yours."

Shepherd made a mental note to contact his friend at UC later that day.

"I shall, and I may end up bringing some info to you when I come over the pond.. what say we, Tuesday?"

"sounds good, you will be staying at the Royal Ambassador in London, I will set it up, yourself and Genn, possibly one or two others?

"Yes, my partner Sean will be with me."

"I look forward to meeting him, I will have a driver meet you at Heathrow and get your party to where you need to be.

"Thank you Lord Potter.." Shepherd grinned at the younger man.

"You are welcome , Rune Master Shepherd. This is giving me ideas, I need to call a conference of medical specialists to answer a question I have.. I am not sure the proper title, but we will discuss it when you get here."

"I look forward to it. We will be in contact."

they logged off.

Mentally one of Harry's avatars took up the whole concept of the MRI and tracking magic.

The next day he would no doubt go through several books one page at a time, staring at that page and completely setting it into his memory and so forth. His avatar would read those books from memory and compile all the pertinent data into a basic outline of what he should know about the subject, what questions he should ask, and then make suggestions as to what direction to take. Harry suspected he was on the verge of starting another sponsored study group.

"maybe it will be cheaper to just start my own university' he muttered.

"That might be a good Idea, you know." his girlfriend spoke over his shoulder. "There is a lack of higher education in well, virtually the entire magical world. " Most higher level teaching goes on by way of apprenticeships and hired tutoring.". He sat back to listen to Hermione's commentary.

"I want to get more education after Hogwarts but there is nothing really, I find this disturbing in so many ways."

"Well, how about this, love, I will set up a budget and you design what you want in a University of Magic, and we'll see if we can create one in time for you to go there."

"Where could we put it, I don't think we can hide a whole university anywhere in the civilized world at this time.. it would be too noticeable"

"Well, lets see. We at ILMM are negotiation for the creation of a magical homeland in the Saharan desert, so that's a possibility, I have just been told we can make ten mile floating islands at will, so maybe out at sea, what else.. how about straight up?, we have the technology from Black Island we can build a new flying island and go anywhere in the world.. how big do you want it?

Harry said all of these things with a straight face and Hermione knew that he meant exactly what he said, that if she wanted a flying island, then she would have one.

"Well, Lord Potter, that would certainly destroy the statute of secrecy , I think, the mundanes would notice a flying island pretty quickly.."

"I think we could work our way around that one, Hermione, We have the lodestone anti-gravity components from Black Island, I think it can be done."

"If you say so..

She reluctantly marked her place in her book and laid it aside. Her arm snaked up around his neck and pulled him down to the pillow.

"Mmmmmmm c'mere, you"

In San Francisco, Charles Shepherd and Genn Dubois apparated to the campus of University of California, SF branch and made their way through the maze of hallways and buildings to the offices of Dr Tom Baker, a Professor of Neurophysiology who both taught about and studied the brain and nerves in humans of all sorts.

Genn was introduced to the Professor and questions were asked and arrangements made. Shepherd and his apprentice left the Uni and made their way back to the studio.

In the darkened room while Hermione slept, Harry's internal population carried on like some great orchestra, Each player following their own musical score, playing at the downbeat of their director, the music sometimes at odds with itself, and yet, becoming a whole and greater piece of music. The harmonies and counterpoint swirled and flowed, the entire output spread across the aural and visual spectrum, from the subatomic into the ultraviolet and far, far beyond.

Up next:

a lunch meeting that will last all week.

A gathering of minds

decisions about the futures of the magical world.

TimW


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Hermione's flight

This story seems to be going off on it's own, somewhat.. it does indeed have a goal and a planned end, but it has been meandering a bit to get there.

I suppose the whole thing could be edited down somewhat to the point of making it 12-14 chapters, and leaving out a lot of extraneous matter.

Thus far, Harry started out in the canon universe, and Ron abandoned them.

This reverberated through time and affected Harry of an earlier time, a Harry who picked up a book on Runes and started reading.

This caused a shift in the fabric or reality, and created the timeline that this story resides in.

Harry had defeated the two dark lords, both Tom Riddle and Albus Dumbledore, and sent them on to their just rewards. As an added bonus, Harry sent Snape along with his two masters, and they are stumbling through eternity permanently bound to each other.

The Story continues on past this point, and the world is being altered, by way of a military tribunal headed up by the infamous Sirius Black, under the authority of the Kings Regent, and given a command to 'repair the magical world, and bring it into the twentieth century'

Harry, working in partnership with his Godfather are redesigning the wizarding world without their knowledge, for you see, there is a Power that they do not use, a power that few in the magical world recognize, to the point it could be considered a superpower..common sense.

We pick up the story where Harry and Sirius are hosting a conference of academics and magical and scientific professionals from around the world, and he is going to host one of his famous lunches as well.

The discussion is about going back to Hogwarts, and Harry has decided that he would go, in spite of being able to test out of virtually every class. His reason is to be wherever Hermione is.

Sirius' family had owned the properties on either side of Number 12 as well as the rest of the block. He had hired a goblin run construction crew to gut out the properties, and create an apartment block, all tied together, and set number 12 as the main entrance. There were dining halls, performance spaces, dormitories, laboratories of various sorts, and the whole block of buildings, for he had acquired the entire block on all four sides, That whole block encircled an enclosed shared back garden, with walking path, and flower beds and a fountain in the center at the bottom of an inverted pyramid.

Buried under the center of that inverted pyramid was a hollow spherical space

The entire block was accessible by only those who were authorized, and that authorization consisted of a piece of jewelry, a bracelet, a lapel pin, an earring, all different, but all the same in that they had the correct runic markings micro-engraved in a hidden spot.

As the weeks leading up to the new school year had moved on, Sirius' plans were moving forward as well. He knew that Harry was not really inclined to go back to Hogwarts, as his self-education had far surpassed anything the teachers there at the institution could provide. Harry had intentions of returning to Hogwarts, because Hermione had intentions of returning to Hogwarts.

"The simple truth is Padfoot, I cannot live without her, she means the world to me, and I want to be as near to her as I can be. I will use the Hogwarts facilities and Gryffindor's tower as a lab and study space, but I am not really enrolling in any classes, at least nothing I couldn't test out of on a NEWT level.."

Sirius saw the sense of this, and agreed with his godson's plans.

"I know you have a way in and out of there with your transport cages" (he was referring to Harry's experimental transport system, based on vanishing cabinet technology)

"Yes, I can be anywhere in the country in minutes, if I need to get away or do something, I jump to The Keep and go from there.. I intend to make The Keep my permanent home, you know.."

Sirius nodded. It was something they had discussed several times, and the

final conclusion was that it was Harry's decision and Sirius would support whatever his godson wanted to do.

The Lunch had grown to be much much more than a lunch between friends.. It was a decision Harry had made.. he would indeed have a social gathering of those he considered his friends, as he had during the Tournament, but he had questions and ideas that needed to be shared, and not with just his friends, but with the scientific , the academic, the magical specialists, with people who could do things and give advice.

He knew he was not capable of doing it all, he had this truth driven home several times in his business dealings, and in several of his experiments..

The most blatant was when he was setting up the spider island and capture scenario.. he had spent a large number of pounds and galleons to create the 'spider vending machine' out of steel and magic, when he had an inspiration of how simple it could be, and created the currently working model on the spot in an industrial storage facility.

Simplicity was the watchword in everything, and he spent a great deal of time on that subject every day and night.

Every one of his 200 plus mental avatars spent at least an hour a day reviewing their work and distilling it down to the most manageable and simple result.

His first data storage system had faded as it grew and became more and more refined and yet more simple, because every aspect of himself needed access to thoughts and memories of the others.. it wouldn't do to have loose personalities and individuals wandering around in his brain.. that way lies multiple personality disorder and insanity.. Every single avatar worked toward a single goal, a true commensalist organization, every member working toward the good of every member.

Invitations had gone out to invite the great minds of the world to Grimmauld place.. there was a fleet of private limos arriving at Heathrow and Gatwick to pick up the arriving persons, either via international portkeys, aircraft or apparition. There were a few of the invited guests that did not use any of these methods, but rather took a taxi to those international airports to rendezvous with their rides..

The first day was a large get-together, with music and food and assorted groups discussing various things.. the non-magical were brought up to speed, explaining the magical as another form of energy usage and not supernatural or unusual.. as a scientific fact that could be studied if you used the right way of looking at things.

These discussions were just as enlightening to the participants from the magical side of the fence, as they were now hearing about other ways of looking at magic, as well as opening their eyes to many things the mundanes had come up with.

The new facility filled up.. Some of the houses had been converted into living spaces, dormitories, labs and classrooms. The end function for this facility would be a magical university, an institute for learning.

The square that the buildings shared was pure window dressing.. The entire block had been excavated underneath, and as such there was hundreds of useable rooms under the gardens.. and the largest of these was a great sphere, with seats starting in a ring and lining up halfway up the walls of that spheroid. There were no bad seats in the house, and nowhere were there any dead spots acoustically. A single person speaking normally could be heard by every seat in the house. And by no means were all viewers relegated to seats, for there were areas made comfortable for Centaurs, Goblins, and Dwarves

The walls of the sphere were engraved with runes that Harry had first seen courtesy of Jack Golinard.. at their first lunch together Harry had asked to scan Golinard's pensieve and the resulting parchment was a _tour de force_ in arithmancy and runic studies.. In fact that single parchment was to be the prime source for more than one mastery.

What Harry and his friends had created was a huge pensieve, a place to witness and experience memories, history, investigation, performances..

This piece of magical wizardry would likely never be without someone scheduling usage 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

In truth this new University would soon be the largest magical facility in the world, taking over city blocks and the underlying territory.

Harry and Sirius walked along some of the connecting tunnels toward the presentation hall, their footsteps echoing off the hard bedrock that had been grown into place, the shining lights of the magically charged panels lighting the ceiling and the occasional magical window gazing out on the world at some location.

"This is an amazing facility, Siri, how did you do it?, I mean there's only so much time in a week, and this place cost a great deal of money, I think..I have some idea of what some of these projects cost."

"Well, Harry, to tell the truth, I enlisted the help of the Goblins, for a price, you can get them to do quite a few things, and one of the things they have wanted to do for a long long time is to revalue the currency to it's real value.. I mean, a galleon coin is almost an ounce of pure gold, and we have been exchanging it for 5 or 10 pounds for decades.. the Ministry kept our currency devalued, and a few of them were sneaking around the back way and selling gold on the mundane market at whatever the going rate was, and buying more galleons with the pounds..

"I took every galleon in the Black vaults, as well as every galleon seized from the LeStrange vaults, the Malfoy vaults and had them convert it for gold price over the last year.. they are still doing it so as to not artificially depress the gold market..You probably should do so as well.."

Harry looked embarrassed. "Erm.. the only galleons I have are those in the trust vault.. most of the Potter wealth is tied up in investments, land, companies.. I have more than enough to do anything I want for the rest of my life, I have turned almost everything I own into a support network for our project.. Every Pound, Dollar, Yen, Deutschmark goes back into the project..the companies pay for themselves, but the profits are directed to where it will do best."

"I see.. when were you going to tell me this pup?"

"You're a big boy, figure it out for yourself..!"

he grinned at the older man.

They walked in silence.

"So, Goblins."

'Um hmm"

"Count your fingers?"

"Still got em all"

"What did it cost you?"

3 percent exchange rate and any goblin made artifact they find in the vaults.."

"I hope there is an accounting as to what they find"

"I was given their word, and that is good enough for me"

"Very well."

They came to some great doors and entered, up a sloping aisleway to a platform in the middle of the arena.

The sound of the crowd was muted, due to judicious use of silencing charms, cutting the noise back by 85 to 90 percent.. people could be heard, but no one could be too loud, and since the arena was spherical, every problem that went with that.

The men stepped onto the platform immediately adjacent to the central display and waited for the crowd to become quiet.

Sirius stepped forward and touched a rune on the podium and his voice was heard clearly throughout the hall.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to The International University of Magic and Sorcery. I am Sirius Black, and this is my Godson Harry Potter. "

Harry nodded to the audience.

"What we are trying to create here is a place that Magic and the gifts that come with magic can be increased and brought to use in the betterment of our people. When I say 'our people' I do not mean just the Humans, but I mean ALL magical peoples, every person who has any form of magic in them, be they Elves, Centaurs, Dwarves, Goblins, Fae, Giant or Nymph.

There is no physical requirement to be a magical person, only magic."

"We have it on good authority that the magical peoples of this world were not born of this world, but rather were interstellar immigrants, and we are the descendants of those travelers."

"It is our intention to improve the lot in life of every magical person on this planet and to recover that which has been lost, Skills, histories, creatures thought extinct, and creatures imaginary."

This aroused a rumble of conversation that swelled for a few minutes

Sirius waited patiently until the whispering tapered off.

The images in the center of the great sphere quietly switched from one scene to another to another, showing various of the magical peoples of the world, everything from dragon to dirclaw, children and elder, ancient Abo peoples and young children from here in the UK, all surrounded by their magic.

"our people are in danger, from without and within. Without, the non-magical people of this planet have the ability to destroy the world a thousand times over," Here the images of nuclear weapons CBW warfare, plagues and the world being polluted and destroyed by various means.

"This does not mean that the mundanes are our enemies, but that they are merely unable to use the gifts that we have.. this does not mean that they cannot use their own gifts to help improve and repair our world, and this we will discuss later."

"Within, we have our own enemies, the most recent of which was a self styled dark lord created by an old man with delusions of grandeur..

Most people will recognize that I mean Tom Riddle, also known as Voldemort and the old man who created him, Albus Dumbledore."

This was an ambiguous statement as to which 'he' Sirius was referring to.

This made the audience gasp as they saw images from Riddle's life and the old man's manipulations in that life, as well as the death and destruction he caused.

"All his followers that we have discovered have been caught and imprisoned, those that did not die in the assorted battles to capture them, and they are awaiting sentence, another thing that we wish to discuss with

the people of our world."

He waited again.

"The reasons for creating this University are various, and some are personal, some are political, some are civic minded. Personally, I would like to have the name Black associated with something good rather than dark and evil magic and actions.. and so I have liquidated the Black family fortune and dedicated it to building this place.. This is my legacy!"

As with most people when money is mentioned, this strikes a nerve, some positive, some negative.. Some who heard this statement were offended, angry that Sirius would do such a thing.. either the wretch was ungrateful for what his family had done, or he was an attention grubbing worm, trying to buy fame..others were thinking:

"Is there some way I could siphon off some for myself.."

of course that statement as couched in the terms of "I wonder if there is a research grant or cushy faculty job here?"

"Our intention is to gather knowledge and dispense it throughout the world, and help our people up to the place where they should be, without stepping on the rights and livelihood of others. To that end we have created a 'Bill of Rights' of sorts to guide us."

Now I am going to introduce a couple to you, who will be reading this

document. Many of you know of him, but only a few know him, My Godson , Lord Harry James Potter.." he paused as the applause swelled.

"... and his betrothed, a witch who has been rightly named as 'the brightest witch of her generation' Hermione Granger."

Sirius stepped back as he applauded for the couple.

The couple blushed and stepped up to the podium, hand in hand.

The applause eventually stopped as the couple stood. Harry took out a scroll from his pocket and tossed it toward the podium.

The scroll unrolled and lay in a perfect readable angle, awaiting it's reader.

They took turns reading.

"A Magical Declaration"

Magic is real.

Magic is neither light nor dark

Magic comes to those who have it without regard to age, race, species, gender,or heritage

Every person with Magic should have the right to use it freely as long as they do not cause intentional harm to others.

No person shall be regarded as second class by reason or specie, gender, heritage or any other racial or philosophical difference.

No person or persons shall own, enslave, bond, coerce by spell or potion or other magic any other person or being.

No Lycan shall be held responsible for being infected with the disease of Lycanthropy, Conversely, any Lycan who willfully allows themselves to pass on this disease shall be prosecuted according to the fullest extent of the Law.

Species created for the express purpose of killing or extracting the soul, specifically Inferi,

Dementors shall be immediately destroyed. Any person who create these creatures shall be destroyed with their creation.

No person with magic shall use, abuse or harm any non-magical person. This includes muggle hunting, forced obliviation, rituals or any malicious intent magic.

The Statute of Secrecy shall be maintained at this time.

No magical child will be left orphaned, and unprotected.

the magical community has a responsibility to provide a safe upbringing for all children."

The Laws of the land shall be respected and obeyed.

The audience watched as each addition to the Declaration appeared in the great sphere, and muttered amongst themselves.

Harry continued to speak.

"This declaration is a draft proposal that we as a group have come up with as our guiding principles, and for the moment, we are open to suggestions for modifications or additions. You can see the general intent of our articles here, and I would like to open the floor to questions or comments..in front of you there is a comm-mirror mounted to each chair, if you have a question or comment, touch the blue button, and you will be recognized."

The podium lit up with lights indicating questions and Harry tapped the first in line.

"Yes, your name?

"Thank you, David Sutherland"

"What do you do , Mr Sutherland?

"I am an Arithmancer, I design spells."

His face was large in the great projection sphere, and you could see the man glancing nervously at the image.

"I've found that just looking at the mirror is less nerve wracking, David."

Harry spoke with good humor as he continued speaking.

"I keep thinking of the great hall at Oz, 'pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"

the audience laughed

Sutherland cracked a smile.

"Ah, my question..

do you seek to destroy the vampires? I understand the dementors and the Inferi, but Vampires are sentient"

"well, This is a question that many of us have been discussing for a while now, but if I may ?'

Sentience as defined by the OED is this.

1. having the power of perception by the senses; conscious.

2. characterized by sensation and consciousness.

"By this definition, a magical painting is an aware and conscious being.. Does this mean that a painting has the same rights as a human or an elf?"

He looked around a the faces around him, most had a negative look, agreeing that paintings were not alive.

"Do we afford voting rights to door knockers and gargoyles?

"I think not...continuing, Sapience is defined as:

"Having or showing great wisdom or sound judgment."

"Some would say, 'having the spark of life within themselves"

"exploring that further, it is what defines the difference between life or not life. In the British Magical World, convicted criminals are given the Dementor's kiss, that is to say, the soul is sucked out of a person.. now I don't know if you have ever seen a person who has had their soul sucked out, but if you speak to them, at least for a while, they have enough intelligence to answer a question or follow an order, but the truth is, they are no more alive than a magical painting.. there image is there, but no one is home."

"With the soul, there is life, without the soul there is not life.

A vampire is a soul trapped in an undead body, and their life and magic comes from feeding off those who have life and magic.. as long as a vampire acts according to the agreements that have been negotiated, we have no problems with them or their 'lifestyle'

harry looked down and grinned.

"I have a vampire working for me at my family keep, as a historian."

Sutherland sat down , his face in shock. Harry speaking about his Auntie had hit home and the young man's words made him wonder at his actions for the last ten years, feeding his Auntie and keeping her alive, locked in his basement.

Up on the podium where Harry was speaking, as soon as he had the man's name verified, there was an ID card image with all the pertinent data on the man, including the things he would like to have hidden away, such as his Auntie in the basement.

"Next question?"

He tapped the next light on the board, and the next image was that of a young girl.

"Your ..Oh, Hello Genn," He recognized his friend Genn Dubois.

"Everybody, this is our good friend Genn Dubois, I assume that Rune Master Shepherd is here with you?"

Genn nodded, and gestured to one side. The view pulled back and the viewers could see the master sitting in the seat next to his apprentice.

Every person who appeared up in the great holographic sphere had a short banner beneath their face identifying them, the image of Shepherd spelled out

_Sr Runes Master Charles Shepherd, San Francisco USA_. _Emperor Norton College of Magic, 1962_

Genn's identifier read:

_Genevieve__Dubois Apprentice Runes Master, Chamiox, France, Beauxbatons 1994._

"Your question Miss Dubois?"

"Oui,Thank you 'Arry..you 'ave said that we, the magical peoples of the world are descended from another planet?"

Harry grinned and made a few gestures at the console in front of him.

An image of Shala appeared.

"Some of you recall my friend Shala, I hope?"

there were gasps of fright at how realistic and close the mage of Shala was, followed by a tittering laughter at the shock.

"Shala has lived for over 200,000 years, renewing her body and transferring her mind and essence every thousand years or so.. She is one of the few ancient dragons left in the world, as there never were very many, The highest number of ancients was seven, though two have died in the last ten thousand years."

"The ancients came to the earth when their home planet was threatened by a nearby star that was on the verge of nova.. They gathered up as many of the other species on their worlds, as they had several worlds, and launched into the unknown in generation ships, heading out in several directions." The images shown in the sphere were of a planet surrounded by several artificial moons which all shimmered and moved off in different directions.

"Each ship was big enough to hold several thousands of people of various sorts."

the images changed to the interiors of the ships which were hollowed out spheres of rock, which spun and provided surface area for crops and forests. There could be seen dragons and hippogryffs, Centaurs and Humans all living and working together.

"The different races of people worked together, each with their own skills, The Centaurs were navigators and wove the path through the hazards of space." The Goblins were warriors and quartermasters, protecting the people and making sure that there were adequate supplies.

The Elves oversaw the forests and the lands, and all the growing things.

"Every race and specie of person had something important to do, and sometimes there were those who crossed over in their trades or interests."

the images showed a human working with Elves doing earth magic, a Centaur training with the Goblins and many other crossovers.

Harry was speaking.

"I am not advocating any actions against the muggle or mundane population, since they are people as well, and don't by any means associate me with any kind of pureblood agenda, but..." he paused

"The uncontrolled spread of the mundanes population and the technology that comes along with them has caused widespread destruction in and on the Earth, including making many of the magical creatures and peoples of the world an endangered species.. My desire is to stop the infighting amongst ourselves, and create a unified front of all magical peoples, be they human form [or otherwise, and to bring back the controls that we were assigned when we arrived here, to take back the lives that we can possibly live, to increase knowledge and recover lost knowledge."

Genn looked thoughtful for a moment and spoke.

" Is it not a dangerous 'ting to be confronting a world of seven billion people with limited resources, 'Arry?.. we are but only a few millions at best."

"And that , Dear Genn is why we as a magical people should bond together for the common good."

Shepherd gestured, and the view focused on him.

"You don't mean that you are going to war with the mundanes, are you?"

"No, Master Shepherd, not at all, I just intend to out-produce, out breed, out- think those who are destroying my home planet..think of it as evolution in action."..

He paced.

"We are classified by Linnaeus as 'Homo Magicus', though some would argue the point for the classification 'homo superior'

"I, however, cannot, for that implies that we rose above the 'normals.. the truth is, we were the superior race when we arrived to this planet, it is because our own self destructive behavior that there are more of the non-magical, less capable descendants.. It is because of their adaptability and creativity that they now outnumber us by more than 6000 to one."

"I just want to even up the balance, I would like to increase the numbers of magical people in this world by a factor of ten at the minimum, and I want to undo the damage done to this world by pollution, wars, political national and religious infighting.. I don't want to kill or eliminate any sapient people, I just want to keep the place in my world for my children and my children's children."

his vision wavered.

"Does that answer your que.."

he didn't finish the statement, because he wavered and fell to the floor , unconscious.

Hermione rushed to his side and tried to arouse him, without success.

Sirius called for calm..

"Please remain in your seats, I don't know what is wrong, but we will soon find out."

within seconds, a team appeared and checked his vitals, and satisfied lifted him onto a cot, which the attendants each held and portkeyed away, with Hermione hanging on as well.

There was a swell of muttering and discourse, and Sirius stepped into the gap.

"The healers will find out what is going on and let us know soon, I suspect that Harry has been working too hard, and overdid it..so, please be calm, and enjoy your stay with us."

he sent a few small messages to several people, and the schedule was moved forward.

"I would like to introduce to you, a historian of note, who has spent the last sixty years gathering memories of historical importance, several of which we will show you today.. I believe he has an original performance of Hamlet as performed at The Globe Theater in 1601, so, may I introduce to you, our guest, Historian and Scholar Edwin Scatterpole"

Sirius ushered the squat , bespectacled scholar to the podium and as the applause quieted down, slipped out of sight to contact the Healers.

Hermione's heart was racing, as well as her mind..Harry had collapsed, and this kind of thing had not happened since before Tom was killed, since before they had gotten the fragment of the evil wizards soul out of Harry's head..

Hermione held her tongue as the healer did his diagnostic on her betrothed.

She wished for the temporary mental connection that they had when Harry was doing his mental training with Shala.. when he was carrying around the small dragon from the tournament full time, it worked as a link, linking Harry with Shala, and by association it sometimes linked the couple together as well.

The Healer finished his examination.

"Miss Granger, there is not one single thing wrong with Mr Potter, at least physically. He is well withing what is considered normal and healthy and has actually improved since his last exam with me.. the problem is mental, I think.. it;'s like he has gone into a fugue state.. his body is there, but no one is in charge.."

he hesitated, as this Healer was the one outside professional that Harry trusted, and only on Madam Pomfrey's say-so..

"Harry has been working hard on so many projects.. I keep telling him that he needs more sleep and to eat right.. I know the consequences of not getting the right sleep and food" Hermione flushed at her statement, she did indeed know about fainting from not eating correctly and studying for days on end. Coffee and ink are not substitutes for sleep and nutrition.

"That may be, and he seems to be in good order sugar and nutrient levels in his blood seem to be within range, but his serotonin levels are … well, extremely above normal.. I need to call a specialist in brain chemistry.. if I recall correctly, his brain going in overdrive, and he will have a massive migraine when he wakes up, unless we lower these levels somehow.."

He turned to his intern. "contact Alexander Cromwell, and ask him to come here as soon as possible."

before the intern left the room, Hermione stopped him.

"Mr Cromwell is in the Viewing Room as a guest, I will contact him."

Hermione knew this, because she spoke with Harry about those whom he wanted to invite to the conference, and Cromwell was one of the few who were not close friends, but were invited.

She took out her mirror and logged into the live feed from the Viewing Room to see what was going on.

Mr Stackpole was introducing a memory,

"_This memory was collected in 1957, August 7th, at the Cavern Club.. A skiffle band who went by the name 'the Quarrymen'. They would later reorganize and be known as The Beatles.."_

she nodded to herself and touched a rune, and spoke.

"Hermione Granger for Alexander Cromwell"

a moment passed and the mirror faded into the face of Mr Cromwell.

"Miss Granger, what can I do for you" He suspected that he knew.

"Harry's collapse was not physical, but rather mental, Healer Pomfrey asked that you come to see if there's anything you can do".

Cromwell nodded in response. "Tell Marcus I will be there directly"

"Good, I will send you a guide..listen to your name badge, and follow the directions"

"Very well" and he closed the connection

His name badge 'pinged' and he heard a quiet voice in his ear whisper.

"Exit the Viewing Room by the exit behind and to your left"

as he walked out the door, behind him five young English lads were setting out to change the world.

Cromwell followed the directions of the guide voice in his nametag, and entered the infirmary where Harry lay, and Hermione had called Sirius and informed him of the goings on as well.

"Hello Marcus, whats up"

Healer Marcus Pomfrey greeted his friend Alexander.

"Our young Mr Potter checks out physically, and all his chemicals seem to be fine, but my readings show his brain activity is , well, I 'm not sure..

he's pumping out serotonin like there's no tomorrow, but I can't really detect any individual brain activity.. usually I can detect neurons and synapses firing, but his brain seems to be a mass so dense, it's like ..I can't come up with a way to describe it."

Cromwell was familiar with the brain and mind diagnostics so he nodded.

"Show me."

Healer Pomfrey cast the charms and spells of the diagnostic and an image of Harry's brain was there about a foot above his supine body, and the image was a solid mass of sparks, glittering and pulsing, all the way down into his cerebellum and nervous system.

Hermione had an idea.

"Can you keep this image and cast the magical core detection spell?"

She thought of doing it herself, but was too worried to concentrate on it.

This idea struck a chord with the healer and he did so, and they saw that the magical core , which in the normal wizard remained mostly in the torso and sometimes into the 'gut' of a wizard had spread throughout Harry's body, following the pathways of the nerves and was glowing like a nimbus in his brain pan as well.

For an 'average' wizard, the magical core was usually a medium sized glow that was rarely bigger than a football in the wizard's chest and or gut area.. Wizards were males after all and their natural desire was to drive their magic toward their small head.

Some had the gift of gab, that is, more magic toward their tongue, some had 'magic hands' and the like.

Healer Pomfrey was stunned, Harry's magic swirled and flowed all through his body, through the blood vessels and veins, the muscles and like some gleaming orb around and around his brain.

Cromwell tried to enter his former student's mind, but was rebuffed at an almost physical level.

He grimaced in pain and sat heavily, holding his head.."Ow, that bloody hurts"...

Pomfrey handed Cromwell a headache potion, who gladly swilled it down.

"I saw a few fragments, but it is all moving so fast, I cannot keep up, but it appears that there is a mental blockage of sorts.. I really don't know what to do.. the only time I have seen this before is with someone who had.. … …." I think I know what to do.." he turned to Hermione. "the little dragon, do you still have it?.. I believe he said it was a connection to his dragon friend..

After some consultation Hermione called on Remus Lupin and surprisingly enough, Viktor Krum.

"Meet me at the transport cage."

both men knew where that was, since they had both arrived in that same device.

In minutes, the cage had transported the three to The Keep, and only after Hermione used her personal authorization to get the two men in, since Harry had selected this place as his permanent home and base of operations.

One of the Keeps elves led the two men to the control and operations room while Hermione ran through the corridors to her own private room. The few people on duty moved out of the way of the rapid young woman.

She slammed into her quarters and was met by Winky, who helped her get dressed quickly.

She threw off the semi-formal robes and quickly stripped, and pulled on her workout outfit, which was followed by her dragonhide armor slash flying outfit.

As she was shrugging on her jacket, her headset and mic came online., and she pulled the goggles over her eyes.

"Ok Hermione we have a visual on Shala, she appears to be sleeping in her nest, and is quiet at this point."

Hermione was about to leave the room when she remembered the small dragon, and caught it as Winky brought it to her, she answered as he stuffed the dragon in her pocket.

"Good, I am heading for the portal.. is Harry's broom ready?"

Viktor answered

"Da, I have checked it out, it is in perfect condition."

Hermione sprinted towards the portal as he spoke.

Less than a minute later she arrived at the flight portal to the keep.

This portal was the arrival area for dedicated portkeys, which could only be made and authorized by Harry himself, This was also the area where Harry had set up his experimental transport cage that they had used to arrive here.

The scariest part of this area was the opening in the wall that stepped out to a thousand foot drop into the cold ocean.

This was the flight portal, and the only way in unless you had an authorized portkey.

A thousand foot above the cold, unforgiving ocean, a solid wall of black rock with no handholds or gaps to use for climbing.

A monolith of obsidian, enhanced by magic and warded to a degree not seen anywhere else on earth.

The wards extended out several hundred feet. Anti apparition, anti Portkey, wards that could only be entered by way of threading an invisible maze.

Viktor handed the broom to Hermione. Harry's Firebolt.

Since the day that Harry had transferred his knowledge and love of flying to Hermione, she had practiced and become fairly competent on a broom, and had her own broom as well, a nice solid Cleansweep, not a high performance model, but functional.. hers was a minivan to Harry's Ferrari.

"Good luck, safe flying" Viktor saluted her. She put on her goggles and nodded, then launched out over the cold sea.

The winds buffeted her, so she hunkered down close to the shaft of the broom, trying for a slight profile.

In her goggles, the images of the wards flowed by as she threaded that maze.

Lupin was talking.

"...Healer Pomfrey says he is stable but there are no signs of change in his brain activity, but he is safe, so take your time and be patient!

"Acknowledged...one more turn...ok I am out of the ward maze, Heading for Shala."

Lupin answered. "No mundane activity for ten miles, go."

Hermione shot towards Shala's Island and nest at a quick pace, not the almost 200 mph that the Firebolt was capable of, but quick.

She slowed down as he approached he shoreline of Shala's island home, for there were anti-personnel wards to keep people from accidentally being lunch for the great dragon.

An almost physical feeling slowed her as she slipped through the ward, and a feeling of freedom as she slipped into the airspace over Shala's Island.

She had just started toward the nest where Shala was sleeping when Viktor's voice shouted out

"Roll left Hard!"

She did this without thinking, trusting the seeker's judgment and was almost knocked off her broom as a huge mass brushed by her,

She got a close up glimpse of ...feathers..? as she rolled and as she made a hard left turning spiral, Viktor's voice gave her guidance.

"It ees a big bird, Roc I think.. wery aggressive, you must out fly it.."

"How did a Roc get here?" she muttered as she followed directions.

"Get low to deck, as close to ground as possible, dodge left and right, but do not be um..um..under.." Hermione heard Lupin give Viktor the word he was looking for.

"Predictable, be erratic."

"Yes! Be erratical.. !Go Right, Now!"

She dodged to the right and around a rock formation, , between a tree and the rock, as she heard a thud and a squawk as the bird hit the ground.

"!Yes! Erminny, that was perfect, but it is getting back up.. you must make it stopped, .. for goot!, because it will keep following you!"

"How?"

she was dodging and weaving amongst the rock piles and trees, and pondered if it would be wise to go and wake Shala now and offer the bird to the dragon as lunch.

"I have flown with these Rocs in Sout` America, in the mountains of Chile, and there where many many of them.. iss not endangered..on your right, iss coming..pull up on one...fivfe four..threee...two...up!"

The young woman pulled up and flew over the back if the angry bird, and she could hear some of the conversation between Mooney and Viktor. Mooney spoke first.

"Leave the wards and take a heading south, you are heading toward Spider Island.."

Hermione looked down under her left armpit and saw the great Roc flapping and climbing toward her chosen course.

"Ok, on my way." She laid down and pushed the Firebolt to it's limit and sped over the water at close to the top speed.

As she approached the rocky shoreline and the portkey drop zone Viktor was talking.

"We haff found a perfect place to stop your bird.. look for cliff face off to your right, there is another opposite?"

She looked and found the opening in the rock, the entry into a gorge.

"There is veb across opening, you are going to get air and dive, Vronski feint, you will fly under veb and Bird vill not see veb, understand?"

"I don't like it, but I understand." She shuddered at the thought. She could see the spiders marching around and capturing the livestock sent to them, the balls of silk that they were trading for, and the webbed pods with who knows what inside them.

She slowed enough to get going in the right direction.

"Do Zoom up to height." Viktor instructed.

As she did the attacking Roc zoomed by far below her.

"Ok, circle around attract attention, it vill try to get above you, let it"

""I don't know why I let you adrenaline junkies talk me into this."

she grumped.

Mooney answered. "Just think, now you will have experiences in common with Harry "

she could hear the laugh in his voice.

"Pink bows and ribbons in your fur next full moon Mooney!"

"We'll see, here it comes."

Viktor interrupted.

"Da, dive towards the opening, fast as it can fly, just a little bit faster... perfect!"

In her eye-wear, Hermione could see the web, glowing like neon against a black backdrop, as well as the infrared signatures of the huge spiders inhabiting the gorge. She could hear the pinions and muscles of the great bird behind her, as well as it's whistling breath.

Her boots brushed the treetops as she dove through he gap and then pulled up hard, the G-forces pushing her hard into the broom's shaft.

She heard, but did not see the squawk and thrashing as the Roc tried to adjust it's course to follow her and hit the huge web dead center. Nor did she see the huge spiders darting toward the captured avian to bind it and make it their next meal.

In the Viewing hall, back at the University, the gathered crowd watched the live feed as a tiny form flew straight up out of that gorge, with long spider legs lining the rocks, waving at her, trying to knock a morsel out of the sky.

Viktor's voice rang in her ear. "You are free to go back to dragon now."

Goot job, Herminny."

Hermione was limp on the Firebolt, as she realized what she had just done. The broom was traveling along at just over 100 mph as she realized that some of the actions had been fun.

Her big mind quickly arranged the things that had to be done, and she flew with determination towards the nest where Shala was just awakening.

The young Gryffindor woman landed gently about fifty meters away from Shala's nest, and shrunk Harry's broom into her carryall pocket with the little dragon.

She was sweating a bit from the exertion and unzipped her jacket, revealing her workout clothes, at least the top.

She pushed the wind goggles up to the top of her head, from the outside they looked like those 'old people sunglasses' which were black and wrapped around half your head, but from the inside they were charmed to see virtually any range of electromagnetic radiation from wards and magic to ultraviolet and the unseen in the RF spectrum. Totally illegal for use in Quidditch, but perfect for the explorer and curse breaker.

The image in the viewing sphere was one which would be engraved in the minds of young and old men for years to come.

A taut firm body, a tight black combination top/sports bra, covered with a maroon dragonhide flight jacket. At her waist a gap had ridden up, revealing about two inches of firm belly, with a hint of abs, and a green jewel in the navel, Around her neck a few gold chains one with a locket engraved with the emblem of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and one with the badge and seal of Gringotts, both portkeys and both immensely valuable in their own right, not to mention what each symbolized.

Her bottom half was encased in black dragonhide pants with thigh high boots pulled up and over.

Her hair had been tied back and their were a few strands of loose hair falling into her eyes, and on her head, the HUD goggles.

In her ear was an earpiece and a mic curved around to be able to speak clearly.

Later that month , Hermione would see no less than five different young women wearing a copy of that outfit in Diagon Alley and other public places, including Hogwarts.

She touched her earpiece

"How's Harry?"

Lupin replied.

"Status unchanged, I will inform you of any changes, don't worry about him, Healer Pomfrey has it under control."

"I'm still worried.. I'm going to go talk to Shala now.."

"We'll be watching."

"Shala...Shala.. hello?"

/ I hear you../

"Shala.. do you recognise me?"

/you are my pets mate./

"I don't understand.. what do you mean, 'pet'?"

/he is special to me/

/I keep him close/

"He is special to me as well, but he needs your help"

The great dragon's eyes popped fully open and her head snapped around to confront Hermione directly.

Those watching could not hear the conversation, but when the image of the dragon confronting the young woman came up, several people in the watching audience screamed, assuming that she was about to be eaten.

/show me./

Hermione opened her mind showing the most recent events, his collapse and the healers' diagnostics, and Shala pushed to see more of the past.

Hermione showed as much of it as possible, including Harry's mental avatars, his multi-tasking , his inventing streak, his meditation instead of sleep, all of it from the time of Harry and Shala meeting to the present.

Outwardly, it was a static image. A huge dragon head, a young woman, gazing into each other's mind.

The entire transfer of information took all of three seconds, and the great dragon closed her eyes and her head tilted slightly as if she were sighing.

/Where is he now/

Hermione asked out loud

" where is Harry now"

Lupin replied: Black University, London"

/get on my shoulder/

Hermione didn't argue.

You don't argue with a dragon, not with good results.

She climbed up and settled into a place at the base of Shala's neck, where she was at the top of the reptilian shoulder, it felt quite natural to be there.

/we go/

Hermione felt a field or ward envelope her, and felt as if she were glued to the dragon's back.. it felt perfect.

The great beast stood and stretched, flapped her wings a few times, experimentally, and then with a leap, launched into the air, and soared away.

The viewscreens went blank, for they could not follow the speeding creature, for several reasons, one, she was using a dragon disillusionment spell, and two, she didn't want to be seen.

High over an unspecified piece of cold ocean, a dragon and a girl sped towards their destination.

London.

/here is what you must do/

the information poured into Hermione's mind, fast, quite fast, but not so much as to overwhelm her.

That is what had happened to Harry.

He had too many things going on at once, and what he had was basically an input error. Too many things were trying to access his I/O port at once and the software crashed.

Think of it this way: there are two hundred cars in the parking lot, and the big game lets out.

Everyone tries to leave at once through that one exit.

Something's got to give. And it was Harry's conscious actions that were shunted to the wayside.. even with the occlumency training he had received with Mr Cromwell, his storage methods were insufficient.

He had upgraded from a simple file drawer system to a computerized data shuffling system, but even then he had outrun his buffers, and locked up.

The truth was he needed a more powerful, simpler operating system.

Shala was about to provide it, and instead of using the small dragon as a limited access port, she was about to use Hermione and her personal access to over ride the congestion.

It would have been inevitable, whether Harry had created his avatars or not, the situation might have happened in later years, given his propensity for so many projects going on at once, but it would have happened.

This chapter has been retconned for errors in continuity 9-18-11

TimW


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Hermione had confronted Shala on her island, and informed the dragon elder of Harry's condition, and asked for help or guidance.

Shala had taken things in her own...claws, and taken a short flight, relatively speaking.. from her island at an undisclosed location, to London, also an undisclosed location.

The trip was quite exciting for Hermione's part, as she had never ridden a dragon before, in fact would never had thought of it let alone risked it.

The actual flight was much less eventful than anyone would expect. Shala had a natural shield that allowed her to slip through the air, or lack of air easily. She had no idea how to calculate speed without an external reference point, but she was sure they were traveling several hundred miles per hour, but that was mostly because while riding south towards London, they eased up behind and to one side of a pair of Tornado fighter-bombers.

It was a testament to the professionalism and skill of the pilot that he did not lose control of of his aircraft.

The RIO, however, rolled his eyes and muttered "Oh bloody hell, not again!"

Shala however did not tarry, and the two military men were shocked to see an unprotected young woman at this altitude, not only 30,000 feet above what was survivable , but exceedingly cold, and here she was, riding a dragon at the operational ceiling for the RAF's high performance machine. Hermione grinned and gave a shy little wave as they stared at her.

It did not take very long at all and the great dragon was circling in on the precise center of the Black University compound. Since they were under a dragon magic disillusionment , there was nothing to be seen externally, but a momentary ripple in the sky.

The two females in Harry's life settled at the bottom point of the inverted pyramid , and as Shala settled sown on her haunches, Hermione scrambled off.

She threw off her outer jacket and rushed towards the closest entrance to the compound, when Shala called her back.

/wait, remember, you will need/

Hermione skidded to a stop and returned to the dragon.

"Sorry, I am just worried about Harry.. all right, where?"

The dragon extended her left paw and the toes and claws dug into the decorative stone pavers .

The conversation took place while in flight.

"I brought the little dragon so you can recharge it, so we can re-establish the connection between me and Harry".

/that would take too long, days/

"To recharge the dragon or which?"

Hermione didn't quite understand the context of the statement.

/The small dragon would work/

/ but it would take days/

/three or more for you /

/to sing it's song/

/do you understand/

"I see, we could use the small one, but it would take too long, so is there a faster way?"

/yes/

What Hermione saw was not in words, but more in feelings and pictures.

After the feeling overwhelmed her and she was able to take in the required procedure to be followed, she just hung on for the ride, and was somewhat bemused as they passed the RAF aircraft.

Her sharp eye did, however notice one of the names stenciled on the side of the cockpit,

Lt Creevey.

She gave a shy wave and sighed when she realized there would be more explanations upcoming.

Shala placed her paw flat on the ground between herself and Hermione, and nibbled at a loose scale, jerked it out and spit it out.

/take scale/

Hermione picked it up and placed it into her bag, and advanced on the dragon's paw, and with her wand created a small cut in the flesh of the creature. Blood welled up and made a small globule balanced between the scales. She then took her wand and cut her hand, making a fairly large slice by comparison. She pressed the incision hard on the cut in the dragon's paw.

She could feel the blood burning through her own veins.

After a few moments she felt deep within herself Shala's voice

/Enough/

she staggered back and almost fell from the power of the connection between herself and Shala.

Unbidden she held her hand and arm up toward the dragon and Shala took Hermione's arm into her mouth. The tongue licked away the blood, leaving a healed hand.

/Go, help him/

"yes, My Lady."

Hermione bowed to the dragon and jogged away towards the entrance of the underground warren.

All levels of the courtyards and gardens were lined with windows and patios to allow light into the facility, as well as comfortable places to be.

Behind every window were people, lining all levels, watching and commenting on the incredible action before them.

These things would cement Hermione's reputation as more, much more than just a brainy witch, much more than 'the smartest witch of her generation'

The actions of this day were the basis of stories and tales of true love and adventure and the sacrifices that people in love would do for each other.

Sirius met her at the door and guided her to the infirmary where Harry lay, inert, his brain activity off the charts,and yet no discernible brain function.

Back in fourth year, during the Yule Ball, Harry had done what appeared to be a miracle, repairing the damage done to Lavender and Parvati by Dumbledore's manipulation and penchant for obliviation.

This was for the most part, just plain Harry dumb luck, where the circumstances lined up to work together for good and not evil..

Harry's connection with Shala was at it's highest point, and she was cooperating with him there without his knowledge, knowing that there was something off about these two young women.

Shala had provided a format that Harry could work with to repair the damage done to them.

Without that help, Harry would never have been able to do it on his own.

Hermione entered the infirmary where Harry lay.

She started to climb onto he bed where he lay, but the healer stopped her.

"First, you need to be checked out, you are running on adrenaline, Miss Granger, we have been watching you for the past hour..by now you must be quite thirsty, your temperature is up and I'd be willing to bet you are feeling faint from low blood sugar..Mr Potter will wait twenty minutes while you take care of yourself..look, even your dragon is taking a nap"

Hermione let herself be distracted enough to watch the screen, where indeed, Shala was curled up in the sun sleeping like some great feline.

Hermione looked at Harry lying there, seemingly asleep, and at rest, and sighed.

"Very well, Sirius, you keep an eye on him."

Sirius nodded, taking his orders.

"Assistant Healer Jalpa will be checking you over, let her do her job, please?"

Senior Healer Marcus Pomfrey referred the young woman into the exam room.

It was proper practice to do so, in the current magical society,male healers rarely dealt with female patients, except as referrals and advisers.

As the door closed Hermione had a fleeting thought of the old medical dolls that were used to point out aches and pains and symptoms without the embarrassment and indignity of actual personal exposure.

"Please remove your clothes, at least the dragonhide, I cannot use diagnostic spells through dragonhide."

Again Hermione sighed. Her mundane practitioner was much the same.

This healer looked as if she had some mundane experience.

"So where are you from, I don't recognize your accent..something Balkan?

"I am from Romania, I met Charles Weasley while an intern working on dragon reservation."

She poked Hermione with various wands and spells,

it was quite surprising when the healer used the heart monitor spell, she felt what seemed to be a cold stethoscope on various points of her chest and back.

"Oh! That's cold!.. how does that work?"

"Jalpa looked at her chart. "It is a simple heart diagnostic, the cold touches are a traditional reference point, so they tell me"

"I wouldn't mind looking at those spells someday." she grimaced.

She unbuckled her belt and slipped out of the leather pants and boots, and they dropped to the floor with a clunk.

"Sit on table, please"

More poking and prodding.

Her eyes were checked, her lungs listened to, her tongue examined, all the while a dictating quill was taking notes from the various diagnostics.

"Lie on table, on your belly. Please"

"Huh? Why?" this had never happened in a mundane examination.

"Because you have a laceration your back, I must clean and repair this."

"When did this happen?"

Hermione flexed her shoulder and realized that the stiffness there was from a gash on her back, right shoulder abut halfway down her scapula and a good four inches long, and it would turn out fairly deep. Her back was also covered with blood and feeling a bit sticky at this point.

With a snip,Hermione's sports bra and camisole top hit the floor.

She could feel the healer irrigating and cleaning the wound, and finally after making sure there was no contamination, a surgical mending spell, making the flesh bond back together, layer by layer until she was all the way to the surface, and a final pass, the skin was sealed.

"There, a done, there should be minimal scarring, but if there is, come see me, I was first in my class in cosmetic procedures."

She sat up and flexed her shoulder, feeling a minor bit of swelling, which was normal for something like this.."I wonder what happened to cause this?"

"From what I saw, and the others were saying, when you were flying towards spiders, the bird got you at least once."

Realization struck as Hermione recalled just how close the Roc had come to her.

"Dilly"

an elf popped in "Please clean and repair Miss Granger's clothes."

"Yes Miss Healer."

"I'm done with you, Here is some tea and light food for you, and I want you to drink at least two liters of water in the next 12 hours, please.

When you are done here, there is a shower in the other room, and you are free to go."

"Thank you Healer Jalpa, I appreciate your fine work"..she hesitated a moment, thinking. "May I make an appointment with you for next week, I have a few questions I wish to ask."

"Very well,call the front desk, I will be on day shift all week."

"Thank you." Dilly appeared with all her clothes clean and repaired.

"Here you go, Miss, give to me please, knickers for cleaning."

Jalpa had left the exam room, and Hermione shrugged, and stepped out of her knickers and handed them to the elf.

"Thank you Dilly. I am going to clean up now."

and she entered the bathroom, and into a hot shower.

Out in the private part of the healers office, Jalpa was speaking with

Senior Healer Pomfrey.

"She had a laceration 14cm. long and just over 3cm. deep on her right shoulder, that was obviously caused by a magical creature.. I believe it was the bird, it looked and acted similar to the injuries from the dragons I have repaired.. if it were the spiders, I believe the wound would be septic already. She didn't even realize she had been injured until I pointed out the blood on he shoulder and back."

Healer Pomfrey nodded in acceptance. He had seen all manner of wound in his years as a healer, not specifically from a dragon or a Roc, but things similar.

He had once seen a dead man who had been mauled by a hyppogryff, and the wounds were very similar.

Hermione stepped out of the shower and dried herself, and dressed quickly. Winky had stepped in and made sure her clothes were perfect, and as the Lady was dressing, , her hair was plaiting itself and all in place by the time her boots were on.

With a smile and thanks for her elven friend, the young woman darted out of the washroom towards her destination.

In Harry's room Sirius was watching, as an assistant healer monitored Harry's vital signs.

Hermione entered the room in a rush, followed closely by Sr Healer Pomfrey, who was speaking.

"Before I let you do anything,I want you to describe exactly what you are doing, so we can monitor the procedure, and keep him safe as well as yourself.. you have just been through an ordeal, and I suspect you will be coming down from your high in a few moments.. and I don't want you to have any bad reactions because you are not prepared to do what you need to do..do you understand me?"

he had worked his way around and inserted himself between her and Harry, not allowing her to do anything just yet.

Sirius stepped up behind the intent witch, and reached over her shoulder and took the wand out of her hand, as it was beginning to move toward the Healer.

His arms surrounded the young woman and held her tightly as he whispered in her ear.

"Harry is safe, just not connected with us right now.. Mr Cromwell has checked on him and said he was in there working on the problem from his side, and other than being unconscious he is just fine.. Harry wouldn't want you to hurt yourself now would he?"

finally some of the tension went out of the girl as he r body slowed down, and her shoulders slumped.

Sirius gently guided her over to a chair next to the bed and made her sit.

He almost had to physically lower her into the chair as her body gave out,

and he knelt in front of her.

"Now, what kind of Godfather would I be if the most important person in Harry's life was hurt or injured.. you, young lady are my responsibility when he can't watch over you.. you do know that he watches over you all the time, when you are reading, studying, running, everything.."

Gently, he slipped her wand into her arm holster and took her hands, and looked her in the eyes.

"You are the reason Harry lives, the reason that he does all the things he does, because he wants to make a better world just for you, don't ruin that, please?"

she nodded after a moment as a tear made its way down her cheek.

Sirius leaned forward and hugged her as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"Harry is very much like James was with Lily, he would do anything for her, anything at all. She got cravings with her pregnancy and James would go anywhere in England to find what she needed or desired,

even before she was pregnant, she made a comment about something in the cottage they were living in , and what he did was send her to go shopping with

Alice and while they were away, he shanghaied me and  
Frank and Mooney and we did a two hour remodel and room addition for her, a complete potions lab, state of the art, before she came back..it's still there at the back garden of the Godrics Hollow cottage".

Hermione smiled at this as he wiped away her tears.

"Now, you feel a little better? I thought you would have calmed a bit while Healer Jalpa fixed you up."

"Well, she did, but while I was getting cleaned up, I got to thinking and had to get get in here and help my Harry."

"As you can see, he is in good hands, so, Healer Pomfrey was asking you about the procedure that you are going to do."

she dabbed her eyes and nodded.

"I was too excited to do it before, I have to calm down and meditate before I begin.. I don't know what has come over me..umm...maybe because I have dragon blood in me now.."

Healer Pomfrey snapped tot attention at this, and silently did some diagnostics over the girl.

He did some very specialized spells that examined the blood and showed all that was in that blood, with long specific readouts on the sample.

This was a test that could define whether a person had magical creatures in their heredity, and was originally designed to test for lycanthropy.

"hmm. Interesting. You wouldn't know it if you weren't specifically looking for it. Miss Granger, your blood has taken on the characteristics of dragon blood, and yet is still completely human."

" Fascinating."

"Do you have an animagus form?"

she shook her head no. "I was turned into a feline by a polyjuice accident once though"

The healer's eyes went wide. "Oh, my.. we do have some testing to do, don't we.." he turned to his assistant. "A complete, and I mean Complete medical history on Miss Granger.. she is just as interesting as Mr Potter."

"Now, what can you tell us, be as specific as you can, and while you are doing that, I am going to have my assistant look up a few things on interspecies blood transfusions."

"Well, while you are doing that.." Hermione grinned at him.. "I was also petrified by the reflected gaze of a basilisk back in second year.."

Pomfrey and the assistant both rolled their eyes.

It was almost twelve hours later before Hermione got to the point where she could help Harry.

She tried to meditate, but her adrenaline crashed and instead she fell asleep in the chair at Harry's side. When she woke seven hours later, a water bottle was thrust into her hand by Healer Jalpa.

"you obviously needed a nap, but here , you need to drink in order to help your friend."

After drinking and eating, and getting herself together, she finally was able to attend to Harry.

She had described what to expect, both from herself and from Harry, and those gathered agreed to watch and not interfere.

/Shala/

/I am ready to enter/

/good/

Shala was a dragon of few words.

Hermione climbed on the bed and straddled Harry, and the bed had been raised a bit so he was in an almost sitting position with her over his lap.

She put her hands on his head, her thumbs on is cheeks and as she was doing this, had a sudden flash of Mr Spock doing his Vulcan mind thing.

His eyes opened and she dove in.

She entered the maelstrom, and felt the massive presence of Shala with her/inside her/at her side

/now what?/

/you need to get their attention/

Hermione climbed up on a high spot in the architecture of Harry's mind.

From her viewpoint, she could see the Harrys all crowding around a single point, trying to interface with that point, and being bounced back, and when they hit another, or hit the 'walls' of the chamber, sometimes were fractured and had to gather themselves together, one bit at a time, and some were split into multiples of the same image, and were eerily reminiscent of the multiple Tom Riddle that had been sent into the afterlife.

As a girl, Hermione had acquired a skill that was not as feminine as is common, but useful, especially in calling a taxi or getting attention.

She stuck two fingers in her mouth and let loose a piercing whistle.

Several of the avatars looked up. She spoke in a commanding voice.

"All you, get over there on that wall, in numerical order, lowest to highest". She pointed to the wall farthest from the access port.

A few shuffled off obediently, some ignored her, some advanced on her, with questions or aggression.

She pulled out her wand, and cast stinging hexes towards some and sent them on their way toward the line-up.

Those who seemed to be aggressive, she either hexed or stared down..

if she were so inclined, and looked at herself, she was a Valkyrie on a prominence, hair flying in the wind, shining armor glistening.

After some doing the avatars that were not lined up on the wall, were gathered around her pedestal, that is, except for those that had gone to pieces and could not gather themselves together.

Hermione stepped down from the prominence, and advanced on the I/O port that connected to Harry's higher mind.

She pondered what was going on in his mind, what he had created out of some perceived necessity. She turned and looked at all the 'harryflections' who were lining the wall as well as those who were still attempting to gather themselves together.

She snorted inside at the sight of two avatars trading pixels back and forth, attempting to sort themselves.

She asked as she stood over them.

"Are you learning from each other?"

The Harrys looked up and spoke as one.

'yes it is very enlightening'

'we are learning new things'

'we are synthesizing'

'new ideas"

Hermione pondered this.

"so, each of your..'selves' concentrates on a single subject?

They looked at each other and then turned to her.

"Something new"

"Really? What do you mean by new?"

"Like no one has ever seen before."

"What else can you tell me?"

left Harry spoke alone

"if it works we will change the world'

"How?"

Right Harry spoke

"We will be able to do magic without hiding"

she was intrigued

"How would you do that?"

both Harrys grinned

"hiding in plain sight"

she raised an eyebrow with a question oh her face,

the two Harrys sniggered and went back to sorting pixels.

She pondered these two entities and huffed.

"Well, if you are not going to tell me specifics, I will just be about repairing your brain clog."

The portal to the higher mind was covered by a pile of pixelised Harry-bits left over from the multiple collisions.

She prodded the loose pile, as they roiled and bubbled over each other, trying to find a mate to build a part.

She prodded a few pixels with her toe and considered a sorting spell to help move them along their way but within seconds, the loose pile surged and flowed up her leg, quickly climbing up her body and enveloping her in place.

Outside in the real world, the watchers might have noticed a slight intake of breath as Hermione's eye twitched away from Harry's for just a millisecond.

As it was, no one did notice, Healer Jalpa was distracted by Healer Pomfrey asking her about something and Sirius had just turned to speak to Mooney who had arrived from Potter Keep.

Internally Hermione was frozen in place, almost totally encased in glowing orange pixels.

She was upright, fixed in place, her back arched and her nervous system on fire as the feelings bounced back and forth between her body and the pleasure centers of her brain.

The effect was a continuous orgasm, which she shuddered to bring under control.. it was at a time like this, that if she could think, that she understood how Harry managed to fight through the pain of the cruciatus.

It would not have surprised her that he, in whatever for brought up these feelings in her, and wondered as she could feel the imprint of each and every pixel crawling over her body.

Externally in the hospital room where Harry was lying on the bed, she did not move a muscle, or make any outward action. Mooney was talking with Sirius, quietly but his attention was drawn away by something impinging on his consciousness, something primal, compelling.

It took a few moments real time for him to realize the smell of a female in heat,

"Sirius, come out in the hall please"

Sirius looked sharply at his friend.

"Why, what's wrong?, I'm staying with Harry.."

Mooney ignored Sirius' protests.

"Healer Pomfrey, please step out?"

Healer Pomfrey did so at the look Mooney gave him.

Once in the corridor, Mooney closed the door and stood in front, blocking access.

"Hermione needs privacy with Harry, and we need to respect that"

Healer Pomfrey began to protest, but Mooney interrupted.

"Healer Jalpa will keep things under control"

Sirius looked quizzically at his friend and was about to say something but Mooney raised one eyebrow and subtly tapped his nose.

Sirius recognized the gesture from the Marauder days, a sign that the wolf in Mooney sensed something.

Sirius extended his senses a bit, but here in the corridor of the hospital, there were just too many competing odors

He looked to his friend and whispered "What?"

"Private, it's between Harry and Hermione and I will thank you to leave it at that"

Lupin turned to Healer Pomfrey and asked. "Do you know if they have a Reuben here at the commissary"

as they walked away, Lupin's iron grip on Sirius' arm kept him from going back into the room.

back inside Harry's mind

Hermione struggled through the sensory overload and when she was just about to give up and pull out Shala was present there in the back of her mind, and gave her the nudge she needed to slip free of the assault.

The pixels fell off, much like ice chips bouncing off a car windshield.

The mass of pixels piled up at her feet, almost as deep as her knees, and roiled about there like some kind of cubified flame.

Hermione gasped for breath, her avatar body shuddering with the aftershocks of the sensory assault, she swayed and got her bearings.

"Wow.. that was intense..."

/it was. You humans/

/can be very focused/

/it can be a good thing/

"so what do I do with this?"

she gestured at the pixels trying to reclimb her leg.

/send them home/

Hermione took out her virtual wand and banished the pixels with a command.

"to your scattered bodies, go!"

the pixels were dispersed, each flying away to the various Harrys lined up around the walls of the room.

Once free of the mass, Hermione was able to move and did so, stepping to the line she had commanded earlier, starting with Avatar number one.

"You are the oldest?"

"Yes, I am the first, I am the one who extracted the information from the piece of Tom Riddle, I destroyed all the dark magic in his fragment and stored the memories for the overmind to use."

"So you are pretty much a complete image of Harry, that is, MY Harry."

"Yes, Hermione I am."

"Good, follow me."

she turned and strutted away, over to the I/O port, looking over her shoulder with a sly smile.

She stood to the right and gestured for Harry2 to stand to the left.

She cast a sonorus so all could hear.

"Every one of you, in order, lowest number to highest, one at a time, no pushing, no line jumping. Now!"

the hundreds of avatars were mostly obedient, some tried to line jump,

but they arranged themselves in some kind of order.

"all right there are a lot of loose pixels lying about. I want all loose pixels here in a pile, now" she pointed to an area on the floor of the virtual space.

It was as good as an accio spell.

It came to quite a pile.

"One at a time. You first"

she pointed at Harry2

"Call all your loose pixels to yourself."

Harry2 did so, and several popped out of the pile and when they hit his body, they were absorbed like water into a sponge.

He stepped back into his position guarding the portal. He pointed at the next in line "Next"

The line went on for several hours, each avatar gaining some pixels and once having done so, walked through the portal and into the higher mind.

Once the last of the avatars went through the portal, Harry2 asked what he should do, stay or go.

Hermione said that it was all right for him to stay, but from this point on there was a limit of five avatars at any time. Any more and the processing burden was too great and the overmind lost track of bodily functions.

"You are going to have to figure out a better way of processing data, this method caused a data crash. My Harry was not getting enough sleep and losing track of time. Poll your many and find out if any of you have read on multitasking or data dumps." She poked at the few pixels that were still in the pile. Gently touching each with a finger, and assessing the feeling or reaction she got from them.

From the orange fiery one she felt arousal, lust and powerful urges, from the light blue-green she felt calm, compassion, from the gold she felt loyalty and determination, from the dark red, bravery and focus.

There were a large number of green and silver, she suspected were somehow related to how the sorting hat assessed the incoming student.

The green was a feeling of cunning and cleverness, and the silver ambition.

She gathered up a double handful of these pixelized jewels and let them run through her fingers. This time, when they landed on the stone beneath their feet, they were absorbed and gone.

Harry2 stepped forward.

"Come with me, please."

She followed, and he offered her his arm, she took it.

After a circuitous route, they ended up in a section where there were row upon row of filing cabinets, some open, most closed, assorted papers scattered about, some drawers stuck and jammed, some rolling open of their own accord.

They passed the cabinets and were there at the front of the brain, where there was signs of battle and damage done. There was a place on the wall where there had been a breach, that had been repaired,

This was obviously the place where the fragment of Tom Riddle had been ensconced.

The burn marks on the walls showed the great powers that had been contained.

"I have done as much as I can, and I had the help of several of the others"

"Will you try?"

She bit her lip, wondering what to do, and remembered the memories of Harry's foray into the minds of Lavender and Parvati, and the virtual representations that he had encountered.

Reasoning this out she decided to give it a try.

"I am going to start small and see how it goes, monitor Harry closely, please."

Harry2 nodded and called up his own diagnostic which showed body functions, mental functions and the magical levels flowing throughout the body they were in.

He nodded. "The levels are all coming down and he will wake up soon. We have at least an hour before you will be needed outside"

Hermione turned to the massive damage before her and slowly, one at a time, repaired scars, burn damage, reworked hasty patches so that the solid stone of the wall before them was made whole and a solid mass.

Soon, all the damage was gone, but the actual point at which the breach was made was a whorl in the grain of the stones.

A bit more work and that area was sealed and when she was done, there was a bronze plaque.

"On this spot, Oct 31, 1981

Lily Potter gave her life to protect

her son Harry James Potter.

Her sacrifices were not made in vain

"Those who go on before us are

always there as long as we remember them"

Hermione looked upon her work and Harry2 put his arm around her shoulders.

"That's nice, I like it."

Hermione looked him in the eyes.

"I know, you..he said it to me."

They began to walk back to the portal.

"So, what kind of computer shall we build?"

"Well a Cray is the most powerful and fastest at this point, but we need a way for the information to input and output."

"so the real problem is the interface?"

"It would seem so, that is what caused this whole mess, you know."

Harry2 nodded. "I lost control of it, there was just too much I was trying to do at once."

Healer Jalpa watched as the bodily functions of her two patients went from a mind rush overload of brain function to a calm steady wavelength as if in deep meditation.

She could detect some healing magic in the front of Harrys' mind which she recorded closely to study later.

She watched as the two lines of brain function separated and the young woman came up out of her trance and the patient himself went into a deep sleep state.

Hermione opened her eyes and took a deep breath, and let it out with a rush. She sat back and stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders to get the stiffness out of them.

She turned to Healer Jalpa and asked "How long?"

Healer Jalpa looked at her readouts.

"Two hours seven minutes"

Hermione rolled her head once more.

" Where are Sirius and Healer Pomfrey?"

"Mr Mooney made them leave early on. I understand that he is a Lycan?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"No, not at all, but as a Lycan he can smell things before the normal human can. I was about to say something but he caught it first.. I believe he was looking out after your privacy."

Hermione wondered "How so?"

"I could read the diagnostics, while in contact with Mr Potter, your body began to exude pheromones, your bartholin gland was working overtime and you, that is, your body became very aroused.

Hermione took a quick inventory f the feelings in her body and clothes and made a mental grimace at the sticky feeling.

"Umm.."

"Let me check out Mr Potter while you go take a quick shower, ok?"

The young woman agreed and the Healer went about her tests and diagnostics on her patient while she went about the second shower of the day.

As she took off her clothes again, she could smell the overpowering musky smell in her knickers, and as she was about to set them aside to be washed again she had an idea. She put the knickers in a sealed bag and into her carryall for later.

As she entered the shower, she called her friend Winky.

"Could you be a dear and get me some fresh clothes, a dark outfit like I had before, and some undies, ok"

Winky was glad to do so, and the young woman washed herself once more.

Harry felt as if he were in a dream. He entered his mental architecture and greeted his number one avatar.

"What happened?"

"You were overloaded, and had a system crash. I have orders from Hermione that we are not to have more than five avatars working at any time. I intend to enforce that request."

"My own mind rebels against me."

"don't get in a huff, we both know she is right."

"True. What else?"

"She was attacked while here, Shala helped and she overcame"

"Attacked by who..what?"

"libido, lust, arousal.. they swarmed her."

"Oh Merlin.. she's going to be .."

"don't worry, she was flirting with us right after. No harm done."

"show me"

the memory of the incident was transferred.

"There's not much to be done about it, so, I guess that we will just deal."

Harry2 agreed.

They entered the file cabinet zone.

He looked about at the damage done in the mind riot, the scattered papers and memories, and with a series of gestures, made everything go back to it's assigned place.

"We need a better interface between the files and the minds and the outside world"

"Harry337 came up with something of a plan, but we need to work out the details."

"What did he come up with?"

"He had an idea to link the mind, the separate parts of our mind to external ports, specifically the mirrors."

"how would we do that?"

Magic, of course, the load would be light, both metaphorically and physically.. well not physically, but literally, as light itself is a massless particle, at least for our purposes."

"So, instead of one mind or mage manipulating a thousand kilo rock, a thousand mages manipulating a thousand one kilo rocks."

"Exactly"

"Lets concentrate on one project for a while, make this interface work."

"There is one other thing..Hermione spoke with six and nine, and they have an idea that will change everything."

"And how?"

"hide in plain sight"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Remember the story we read where someone made a joke that they were Jedi, and used magic to make everyone in the muggle world think they were actually Jedi?"

"Yeah, that was a petty good story, I thought."

"Where do we come from, according to Shala"

"Some planet in the Bellephron sector..."

"And how did we, that is, Magicals, get here to Earth?"

"on a dragon ship..ohhhh, I see where this is going?, so all we have to do is create an entire civilization, technology, ships and what else? An entire culture? Sure, I'll get right on it. Next Tuesday alright with you?"

Harry2 snorted. "Maybe the week after.. I have a few ideas."

Hermione ad taken a shower, gotten dressed and went out of the hospital room in search of food and he godfather-in-law.

She came upon Sirius and Mooney comfortably ensconced in a booth in the commissary.

She nudged Sirius "Shove over, old man"

Sirius blearily looked up at her as she spoke.

"So, is my Boy all right now?"

She sat down and gratefully accepted the cup of tea that Mooney had poured for her.

"He's sleeping now, and will wake up in an hour or so, we have sorted out the problem and it won't be happening again, I think."

"How do you know that?"

Mooney inquired.

"I gave his mental avatar orders to not allow more than five avatars at any time.

He had well over 400 working and overloaded his inputs."

the men were shocked

"400?, how is that possible?"

She looked at him with a wry smile.

"It's Harry, Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six _impossible things_ before breakfast

Mooney looked at her with a jaundiced eye.

"Quoting Lewis Carroll, Hermione?

She tipped her head regally

"the White Queen, Sir Wolf."

Sirius looked back and forth between the two, rolled his eyes. And muttered.

"you used to do that with Lily too, intellectuals ..feh!

"shut up and drink your tea  
Paddy, Harry's going to be all right, thanks to Hermione and her dragon..or should I say, THEIR dragon.?"

Hermione sipped her cup and sat it back on the table.

"I don't know whose is whose, but Shala thinks of Harry as a favorite pet."

Both men looked at the teen girl in shock.

In the infirmary, Harry was waking up.

Healer Pomfrey and Healer Jalpa were discussing the readouts and the data they had collected.

Harry quietly eased his legs over the side of the bed, and was about to sneak away, when Dippy the elf appeared and asked him if he waned his clothes

This got the attention of the healers and he was forced back into the bed as they went into a mad rush of diagnostics and exploratory spellwork.

He withstood this for a few minutes before he said "Enough.. I know you mean well, but I am fine, I just want to get out of here, please."

Healer Pomfrey had heard about the trials and tribulations of dealing with one Harry Potter from Madam Pomfrey at Hogwarts, so he made a counteroffer.

"We will let you go under certain conditions, one, no more of these overloading your mind scenarios, and two, you have to come back tomorrow for a quick check-up, no more than a half hour, ok?"

Harry could agree with that,so in a jiffy he was dressed and out of there before they could change their minds.

Mooney and Padfoot were arguing about something, and Harry was getting dressed, he sent out a mental message to Shala

/thank you for saving me/

/you are welcome/

/but it was your mate/

/my mate?/

/she is very possessive/

/I like her/

/that's good, because I do too/

Shala paused, and Harry could feel it.

/is there something wrong?/

/yes. This has advanced my time./

/the egg is ready/

/it is time/

Harry sprinted towards the commissarry wher Hermine was becoming aware of his mental prescence.

/Harry?/

/is that you?/

He burst through the doors in a rush, all eyes in the room turned to him.

"We need to get out to where Shala is!,

she needs us!

"It's her time!"

Hermione gasped and the two teens sprinted away towards the gardes where Shala was writhing on the ground, her wings and tail knocking over park benches and planters.

next:

Harry the midwife


	26. Chapter 26

the Power continued

The memories of Shala were irreplaceable, because they had nowhere to back themselves up.. so in an instant Sirius bored a hole, a tube, really that dropped down through the center of the plaza into the great viewing room, and connected to the holographic Mylar sphere that comprised the center of that viewing room.

As fast as they could move the humans formed a chain , a bucket brigade of memory, Harry stood transfixed face to face with Shala as she expelled the memories to him, and Sirius and Hermione stood at either side of him pulling out an almost continuous strand of memory from either side of his head. After a bit, it became a steady flow on it's own, and all they had to do was guide it toward the hole in the plaza, and down the tube where it would be stored.

Human memory is wispy, grayish strings, like manipulating clouds. They were not however affected by wind, rain or atmospheric travail, they were moved by way of intent.

Harry's intent was that no matter what cost, his friend would be saved. And the people who had gathered just watched and waited while the memory flowed of it's own accord into the hole.

After what seemed to be an eternity, maybe thirty minutes, the flow stopped and they stood around wondering what was next.

Inside Harry2 through Harry6 were hastily erecting their own holographic barrier and containing that which was coming across now...Shala. In an instant of outside time, it was finished, internally it was an eternity gathering and capturing the personality and magic that was Shala. And where it was, was where it would stay until the child was ready, or Harry forced it out.

Finally Harry slumped to his knees and sat with his ankles under him.

Sirius had a cap made, a bronze and stone cap inscribed with runes keeping the integrity of the sphere safe, both from outside as well as inside.

Harry was exhausted, as was Hermione after the expulsion of all of Shala's memories. The great viewing sphere in the center of Black University was full up, and there was a constant monitoring of the sphere from all angles, trying to see the images and record them. Since the memories were unsorted, it would have been an improbable task.

Nevertheless, the watchers watched and recorded.

Shala had expelled the egg, and the worry now was that it might not be viable.. the shell was thin and therefore fragile and they would not risk moving it, so the next best option was to build a nest around it.

This nest, of course had four heavy duty industrial heaters warming it, with flames bellowing forth abundantly from the mechanisms. Meanwhile their friends' ancient body died.

The problem they had to fix was something of a major thing.. the common method for the Queen to create her new body was to hatch a golden egg, that is an exact duplicate of themselves physically, reborn from the effective ashes of the former body. The queen then raised the youngling until it could survive on it's own or with the protection of a trusted ally.. and Harry was Shala's trusted ally in this case.

In normal circumstances the Queen would raise the youngling and then feed the collected memories back into the new shell starting with the most recent, and going backward until they were all stored properly, and the final step was to transfer the essence and internal magic to the child. The elder body then was usually eaten or abandoned, since other than food, it was useless to another dragon.

Normal dragons did not come from golden eggs, normal dragons did not have the millennia of accumulated wisdom and intelligence that a Queen did. That is not to say normal dragons were not intelligent, for they were, quite intelligent, but particularly feral, and prone to bursts of 'animal' behavior.. this is also what made a normal dragon dangerous, the sudden outbursts of instinctual activity which in the wrong case could get you eaten very quickly.

So they watched and they waited.

Back on the surface Harry lay almost inert against the flank of the now deceased body of his friend.

Hermione sat beside him and leaned into him, they were both very weary. Harry was just barely processing, because he had the control of Shala's personality and essence filling up most of his mind.

His few avatars that he had left were spending all their time keeping her contained.. it was essential, for the egg bearing her new body had not yet hatched..

all they could do was bide their time.

Harry would not be able to go back to Hogwarts, and Hermione stayed with him, in spite of her desire to return to the normality of classes.

It had been quite a struggle deciding whether to stay or to go, she knew is she stayed there would be trouble, but if she stayed away, it would be doubled..

she shook her head, mentally rolling her eyes and tried to force out the influence of Harry's musical choices.

He did, however make sure to listen to music he knew she liked as well.

Bother..

this brought to mind Pooh and some of her first memories, reading and how happy it had made her.

Deep down she realized that Harry made her as happy, even more so.

She had enjoyed the previous year, staying in their secret tower, studying and reading and creating..the tournament had done so much for them, even in spite of the plots that had been set to entrap and control him..them.

She pondered his actions and the theories that Luna had put forth about the myriad of timelines and following the paths to each and every reality.

Luna had described a horrifying future, where she had ended up stuck with their former friend Ron.

Hermione felt sad, sad that their friend had grown into a very different person than they thought he had been.

She knew that in none of the realities were they compatible and had been somewhat shocked when Luna described a future where she was married to Ron.

The thought of it made her vaguely ill, for they really had nothing in common but Harry, and even then they had different aspirations and hopes for their relationships..

she shook her head, clearing away the thoughts and decided it was time to do something.

"Harry, it's time to get up now, we've done all we can, you have all of her personality collected, now it will be just a bit of a balancing act until her new body catches up.. come, my wizard, get up.."

She was in front of him trying to pick him up off the plaza by pulling on both hands.

He lay against the dragon's body looking as if he was a kid wanting to go back to sleep.

"Gimmee a sec"

Get up you sillyhead..or you'll get wet.."

"lemmee be.."

"Ok, agua..."

"I'm up, I'm up!"

Hermione had a bit of a premonition of some time in the future.. with young boy Potters...

the couple made their way to their quarters.

Winky had made sure there were clothes and food and everything they would need.

Sirius stood a few levels up the inverted pyramid looking down at the plaza and the dead dragon carcass.

Charlie and his team of dragon wranglers were taking care of it, stripping off the hide to be turned into leather, meat for the various purposes, draining the blood and setting aside the bones to be used for wards and runic work..

Shala had specified that her abandoned body was to be used to educate and feed and help improve the lot of all magical beings, and so, every bit was being rendered into their most useful components.

Some days passed.

The Egg was about to hatch.

In order to keep everything at optimal conditions Sirius had his professors and care staff monitoring everything,

It had been forty two days and the egg had been talked to, been kept warm by way of industrial space heaters, the pavers had become scorched on the plaza.

Sirius sighed. He wanted this facility to reflect his new vision for the Black name, and already it was getting burned up, stained, worn and abused.

He looked out over the plaza. "I guess we will just add the various stains to the curriculum, as a learning experience.."

The egg split open and the dainty dragon made her way clear.

The artificial nest was banked around her and assorted food was put at a distance from where the eggshells lay.

The dragon childe was still in an instinctual state and began munching on the remainder of the eggshell as well as the membrane that was left over. Having ingested the materials, the reptilian child curled up to take a nap.

The handlers did as they were instructed to do, they put the food out of reach and made the child work for her dinner. All the exercise made the joints unbend and flex, and the distance covered was exercise in building muscles .

Harry sat on the edge of the nest for hours, slowly letting vapors of Shala out of his storage and into the creature, sips of Shala's essence and personality.

None of this was a copy, it was all the real thing, the real stored magical essence of a great 'Hungarian Horntail' was leaking out of his core, and into the small beast.

If Harry had not been able to capture Shala's essence on that terrible day, she would have been gone forever, and the small dragon would only grow up to be a normal Hungarian Horntail, with the common attitude that they all seemed to have, that is to say, touchy.

It took the better part of two weeks for Harry to finally offload all the alien influences in his head and body, and finally he was able to come down off the high rock of the nest they had built, for now Shala was fully sapient and aware that he was not food, but rather friend.

She did , however show a childish glee in her new body by tackling Harry whenever he wasn't looking, and licking him like some big scaly beagle.

They had decided to a few weeks respite from the mind and memory management procedures, and

work on other things. It had become cold in London where the University resided, and snow lay blanketing the terraces.

The nest was still there and that's where Shala stayed most of the time, but she was venturing out, stretching her wings, so to speak. It would be another few months before she could fly from a dead stop, but for now she was taking 'hops' from one terrace to another, mostly gliding. And some of the students and staff were occasionally used as bump stops for an incoming dragon.

By the end of two weeks, though, Shala had consumed several tons of various bits of livestock, some toasted on the spot, and as a special treat, wards were set up on the central plaza where a medium sized acromantula was port keyed in to show the students and instruct them on the care, feeding and if necessary eradication of the magical arachnid.

The spider, a mere 3 meters across was continually frustrated by a dragon who was enjoying her new youth herding the critter back and forth with growls, nips and the occasional flame.

The spider never left alive, for it had ended up a snack.

It would be more than two years before she would be large enough to flame like a proper dragon, and Harry carefully said nothing when the youngling accidentally flamed from the wrong end.

In order to build up muscle and strength Harry and Shala ran laps around the plaza, first she chased him, then he chased her, and they were each trying to outdo each other with their new feats of athleticism, leaping from level to level, from terrace to terrace, Harry working very hard to enhance his leaps with magic, channeling magic to his legs and torso, in fact it helped build him up quite a bit as well, for he found if he did not channel magic to the appropriate muscle groups, he ended up with strains and pains, no matter how much stretching he did.

It finally came a time when Shala was ready to retrieve her memories and stored history.

Down in the great viewing room, the sphere holding the hundreds of thousands of years of memory was stretched tight.

It had been fabricated out of a holographic mylar which allowed the memories inside to be viewed on it's surface as a projection.

Harry had used this same material as a trap while still fighting the war, when he had stretched it across the gates of Hogwarts, letting the outsiders think that there was someone standing there talking to them.

This sphere was inert, because there was so many things inside, so many diverse and varied memories, and what could be seen was flashes and bits, like scanning through a thousand channels at a fierce clip.

/ok, how do we do this/

/I know you said it would be easy/

/ but when we stored them/

/ we didn't have time to sort /

/an inconvenience/

/if you're sure/

/lets get this underway/

Harry sighed and opened the portal from the center of the plaza down the tube they had created into the memory sphere.

Shala moved forward and put her face over the well of memory and sniffed.

It wasn't long before the first memory came up and into her waiting mind.

It happened to be her last recorded memory from before the demise of

her body, and the events leading up to that particular event.

Once she had ingested that memory she looked up at a terrace above and saw a young military man standing with her female pet.

She winked at him.

Up on the third terrace, Lt Terrance Creevey stood with his nephew who was explaining the ins and outs of the magical world. He had known about his nephews magical ability, because he was the boy's uncle and very close to the family, but now it was almost distressing to be in close proximity to a dragon without the protection of his aircraft. Not to mention that this dragon was winking at him.

"Leftenant Creevey, I'd like to apologize for the last time we saw each other."

Creevey turned and found himself face to face with the young woman who had been riding the great dragon a few months before.

She extended her hand

"I am Hermione Granger-Potter, and the crazy man down there is my betrothed, Harry.

I hope I didn't get you into trouble with your superiors"

Being fifteen years older than her, he made sure to not ogle the young woman, as well as she was the betrothed of a very powerful young man who had an intimidating pet.

This was a very hard task, as Hermione had filled out in all the right places, and there was nothing about her that said 'girl' any more, but rather 'woman'

Calling on his officer training, he stood straight. "Ma'am, no ma'am, there were no problems, thank you."

Hermione was familiar with this behavior, she had been with her father during a reservists family day.

"No need to be so formal, Colin is like family to us, so, you might as well be as good as." " I am Hermione, but if you insist on being formal, Miss Granger will do"

"Well, miss..er, Hermione, it's just that your dragon is well, um.. I know about magic because the boys, but I never.. expected to see.."

Hermione laughed at the stumbling of the military man

"Terrence, may I call you Terrance?

He blushed and mumbled

"Th' boys call me Unka Terry"

"Well then I guess we'll just call you Terry, ok? She raised her eyebrows and carried on.,

"I understand about the things you mean, I mean look at this, here in the middle of London, the Unseen University, Hidden from sight, we have more than two thousand mages right under the noses of mundane London, and they go by every day, without a clue that there is a Dragon less than five kilometers from Kings Cross. Sure, a small dragon, but a dragon, nonetheless."

"In the few years since I was introduced to the magical world, I have seen strange and wondrous things, things that are beyond, way beyond the norm, invisible people, attempted immortality, a class-wide attempt at genocide, creatures from myth and history"

she gestured and Terry saw centaurs holding forth with dwarves and goblins, humans and seeming humans talking and arguing and reading and eating and being friends and colleagues.

She stood on the edge of the terrace overlooking the plaza, Shala was ingesting memories at a prodigious rate, and Harry was there urging her to slow down a bit, not to overdo it.. he was feeling a bit protective of his draconian friend.

"How long have you been in the magical world?"

"Five years ago Professor McGonnegal came to my home and demonstrated that magic was real.

Since then I have had a fairly intense relationship with magic."

Terry snorted "If half of what the boys have said is true, then I would say your relationship with magic" he gestured to Harry and herself, "Is more than intense." "Besides, you can't fool me, I have seen you at angels 40 on the back of a dragon."

Hermione had the good taste to blush.

"Well, I suppose that you could say..."

she was interrupted by Harry who had bounded up the terraces to her side.

"Hey, Hi.. I'm Harry."

"Terry Creevey, I'm their uncle." the men shook hands

"We have been working with Shala here retrieving her memories and getting her started on the next couple thousand years.."

"Thousand?"

"Yes, a Queen dragon can live up to five thousand years at a time, your average dragon has no mind like the Queens, and last maybe three hundred at best."

"Really? Wow. We never heard anything like that from Prof Hagrid.." Colin injected.

Harry nodded, "yeah, I learned it from the time I was with Shala.."

Luna had returned to Hogwarts but was unhappy.

Her best friends were not there. She understood that problems Harry was having maintaining his equilibrium while carrying the mental essence of a dragon in his mind.. She had been present at the open house of Black University with her father, as he was going to make a presentation on the Hidden Creatures' for the academia. She saw Harry and Stubby Boardman at the opening ceremony , she had seen Harry and Hermione reading the articles being put forth for consideration, and she had seen Harry collapse in front of the audience an the world.

She stayed rooted to her seat watching Hermione on her flight to Shala the Dragon and her altercation with a Roc and the huge spiders.. and when the Dragon landed in the plaza of the University Luna was watching from the first terrace as Hermione ran towards her man.

Things quieted down overnight, and everyone was told by Stubby Boardman that Harry was now resting comfortably, only to find out that the next day the great old dragon died after laying her golden egg.

Her father never did get to present his speech on the Hidden Creatures.

Over the next few days, Luna was almost overwhelmed with potentials

She had become better in protecting herself mentally, and not being overwhelmed by the psychic blowback of seeing so many alternate realities and potential realities.. She had gone into seclusion for almost two weeks at the Rookery and slowly dictated several of the more pressing potential realities and what she thought might be the triggers of these paths.

September first came and she boarded the Express, and spoke with Neville and several of other friends she had made. Somehow she did not miss the Weasleys or Malfoy..

Padma sat with her in the train compartment and renewed her promise of protection for the fourth year girl.

"Thank you Padma, It is nice to have someone watching your back, it was so nice having Harry and Hermione stand up for me the last year.." Luna sniffed a bit, her eyes watery. Padma noticed this and put he arm around the young Ravenclaw. "Is everything all right, Luna? Has someone been bothering you?"

Luna leaned her head into the older girl's shoulder, tears beginning to run down her face.

"No, no.. I am just worried about Harry, because, because.. well you know.."

Padma put both her arms around the blond girl and held he closely.

"Yes, yes, Luna, I do.." They had both gotten a message via mirror once the express was underway. Hermione had made it a point to speak with each of their friends updating them on the situation with

Harry and Shala, and her intentions as well.

The compartment that Luna and Padma were in had been inhabited by the membership of the Smart Girl's Table, Daphne, Padma,Luna, Penny Katie and Angelina Spinnet, several others.. They had been called together by Hermione, who filled them in on her plans for the upcoming semester, that is to stay with Harry come what may. The young ladies were not entirely surprised, since they had watched that relationship grow over the last three years.

Hermione spoke with each from the mirror that was mounted on the wall, and she answered some of the questions thrown at her by her friends, some she adamantly refused to answer, the very personal questions..Alica made her promise to come out and try out as a reserve Qudditch player.."No excuses, I've seen you fly, hell, the world has seen you fly girl, you can't say that you don't know how.." Hermione blushed

Later, after the various 'girls' left to go about their business:

Luna sniffled and clung to Padma for another minute and then made herself sit up straight and dry her tears..

"I know you are my friend, Padma, truly, I do, but they are so close to my heart, and the mirror is not enough.." Padma started to speak, but Luna carried forth..

"It was easy to hide, easy to play 'Looney', just make up outrageous things as metaphors for the things of the day.." Padma nodded, they had discussed the writings of Swift among others.

"Harry gave me back my mother, as close as real as she could be, with the portrait..I left the portrait with my daddy, he is so lonely without her..."

(sniff')

Hermione is like.. I don't know.. not a sister, but ..well, I don't know how to describe it, what I feel..I know the only way the universe works is that if they are apart, we all die, every one of us, but I want to be there for them, be a part of them, their...happiness..does that make sense?"

Pale blue eyes met dark brown.

Padma sighed. "Luna," she spoke softly. "What you are describing is love. Love for your friends, the desire for your friends to be happy and show them that yo love them as much as they love you."

The definition of love is that you care for their happiness more than your own.. a lot of people will say that love is physically giving yourself to your lover, but I think it is much much more than that."

Luna waited for the Asian girl to finish.

"I think it is how far are you willing to go with them, and how far they will accept you, but then you will have to wait, because they will not be here for the foreseeable future, so it's best you just ponder this for now, Luna, don't get worked up about it, and if it is to work out, it will."

Luna sniffed and nodded.

"I know that is the right path to follow, Padma, I can see the potentials shedding away.." she spoke with her eyes closed. And..and. A potential for happiness."

Padma smiled, "That's good, Luna..I'm glad."

The rest of the trip they spoke of runes and arithmancy.

The tribunal that had taken over the government the previous season was finished with heir work. Every Death Eater had been questioned and every known Death Eater and unmarked supporter had been captured.

Now they had a decision to make.

There had been several propositions as to what to do with these people, and it had taken a lot of arguing.

It came down to this.

A death Eater had done horrible things to gain that mark on their arm, crimes against humanity.

Therefore, they were not permitted to live.

Once this vote was unanimous, the order was given and each and every one of the captured, marked Death Eaters was introduced to eternity. Since there was no actual confirmation that the Veil was an actual portal into the afterlife, it was decided that the veil was to be sealed off so no one could accidentally fall through it.

They tried to brick it up, but the bricks disappeared overnight where the veil itself brushed against it, so it was enclosed in a wrought iron cage that was bolted down beyond the reach of the veil.

It was decided that dementors were a dark construct and needed to be destroyed as well, so they would not be fed or tolerated any longer, so all known dementors were forced into the lowest leveled of Azkaban and that facility was sealed with huge concrete and stone plugs, and the castle imploded on top of the pile.

Once this was done, the wardstones having been destroyed, the former castle fortress sank into the sea, never to be seen again.

Deep, deep below Hogwarts, one by one, each prisoner was taken from their enclosure and hooked up to a drainer.

When this was turned on, their magic and their life was drained. The magic was added to the ambient magic powering the school and he wards of the castle. Their life returned to earth, for all life comes from earth.

Once the executions were finished, all the bodies were transfigured into stones and taken far out to sea and dropped over the side, never to be seen again.

Every one of the marked ones had their lands and monies confiscated and those were placed into a reparations fund for the victims of Voldemorts war. Much land was up for sale and before those lands could be sold, manors and shrines and ritual circles were destroyed by cursebreakers, leaving nothing but scorched earth.

Because there had been a lot of questioning covering decades of crimes, a lot of places were found and marked.

Once the places were erased from the face of the Earth, the Centaurs and Dwarves were given free reign to change the landscape into good natural habitat for various creatures and very little was sold to new buyers but rather the lands were held in trust for the beings of the magical world.

The tribunal was disbanded but not until they voted on a keeper of the reins of power, and Arthur Weasley was voted in as Minister of Magic, but he had stated under no circumstances would he do more than a four year term, so someone should plan ahead for the next Minister.

They also polled the former Wizengamot and elected honest men and women to be a panel of Judges, five of them, to pass judgment on all crimes and conflicts. These were limited to a five year term based on willingness to serve.

Out of the remaining heads of departments, and the few left from the wizengamot a council of senators were there to promote and vote for laws. Twenty one formed the Senate.

As for the rest of the people of Britain and the UK, it was announced that on man(or woman) could represent the rights of any one thousand people, , all they needed were for one thousand voting age people to say, "I want this person as my representative" and that person to accept them as a constituent.

This formed the Congress. It also formed an informal Census..

After the first elections, there were thirty nine representatives. Everyone hoped that soon there would be more.

The Representatives were all taking care of the needs of the people, and bringing up potential laws, and once they had one they all agreed on, they proposed it to the Senate. That body was expected to verify that the law did not conflict with Mundane law, or any other previously held law, and once having done so, voted to either forward it to the Minister of send it back for revision.

Once it made it to the Minister, he could send it back or sign it. Having done that, the law was there after to be enforced by the Judges.

It was basically the form of government with some checks and balances like that of the Colonies.

It kept ultimate power from being in one person's hands and made law a bit less of a circus and more of a procedure.

Luna had gone back to Hogwarts for her fourth year, and expected that it would be a different situation, now that she had friends..Padma as an older year to watch over her, and several others who were acquainted with her via Harry and Hermione.

She was sorely disappointed when it was found that Harry and Hermione were not at school. Harry's self education had already taken him far beyond OWLS and NEWTS, as he had absorbed enormous amounts of information through various sources.. It was not know but to a few that he had taken the remains of Tom's soul bit and stripped it of all useful information and exorcised the rest, and his compartmentalization and internal study were the route to multiple masteries, much to the amusement of the pretty Ravenclaw.

She regarded academic achievement as a necessary evil in the society in which she lived and preferred to learn by doing and experiencing and researching .

Her time in Harry's tower had opened her eyes to a wealth of knowledge and access to people beyond the norm, People like Nicholas and Pernelle Flamel, People Like Jack Golinard and Charles Shepherd, not to mention the various participants in the ill-fated Tri-Wizard Tournament and the observers from the ICW and around the world.

The school was aghast as they saw Harry collapse in front of an audience of thousands of magical academics in the opening of he Black University, and the amazing flight and confrontation between Hermione and Shala the Dragon.. The Flight was replayed again and again on the new mirrors that everyone seemed to have. The teacher for Care of Magical Creatures showed it to point out the various wild and dangerous things that inhabited the magical world, with a stern warning that no student under any circumstances was to attempt to speak with a dragon, or Merlin forbid attempt to ride on one.

Luna did get a bit of backtalk from people who thought she was an easy target without her two powerful friends there to protect her, but those people were shocked to find that at the next meal they could not gain access to any form of food but white bread and water, no matter how hard they tried.

Luna thanked the elves who made that happen kindly and said that it was all right she could fend for herself.

The elves of Hogwarts agreed, somewhat grudgingly, but among themselves they were keeping an eye on the young woman.

Unfortunately, there were others keeping an eye on her as well.

Every couple days she was in contact with Hermione or Harry, and they encouraged her in her studies and frequently helped her find new obscure magics and artifacts to help her studies and this filled the young woman's heart with happiness, not so much about the books and artifacts, but that someone loved her for who she was, no matter how weird.

She had also, at the counsel of Madam Pomfrey , began therapy with Mr Cromwell, the man who had helped Harry organize his mind, as well as having helped her mother in the years past.

After she had formed strong enough containment for her gifts, her ability to see potential realities, her jumble of thoughts became quite a bit more calm and easily controlled.. she had always managed to have some kind of control, but this was much better.

It was close to October, there was snow lying about on the grounds and the castle was drafty and cold, a precursor to a hard cold winter. Luna hurried from the greenhouses back to the warm entrance to the castle when she heard a voice.

"Hey! Lovegood, Hey! Wait up..Luna.."

A heavily wrapped figure jogged up to her, steam exuding from his nose and mouth as he puffed like a steam engine from the exertion of jogging uphill.

A boy, Wearing a Yellow and Black scarf, his eyes and hair just peering above the wrapped shoulders..

"Ahh, I, ..pant pant.."

"And you are?"

she inquired

He stood up straight and held out a hand to her,

"Justin..Justin Finch-Fetchly, Miss Lovegood, I am a fifth year Hufflepuff, and I wished to ask you if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend."

She gave a shy smile and tilted her head as if looking through him, and since she was actively working at suppressing her abilities, she did not catch any glimpse of the potentials of this question..

"Why would you ask me to go to Hogsmeade, Justin Finch-Fetchly, you do not know me except, perhaps by reputation."

His face was already red from the cold and the students passing them on the path from the greenhouse to the Castle

"Well, I have seen you with Harry and Hermione. And that alone says you are good people, you are in Ravenclaw, and that implies that you are quite intelligent, and just looking at you in the Great Hall, at the Yule ball last year, it's obvious you are quite pretty, so I figured, why not? We could have fun"

This time it was Luna's turn to blush. She wasn't quite practiced at the art and science of flirting, so she looked him in the eye and said

"Yes"

He gave her a sideways grin.

"yes"? Good! I will meet you tomorrow at breakfast then! "Ok, I gotta get to class, bye!"

the young man virtually skipped away, leaving a bemused Luna looking down the path after him.

That night she called Hermione on her mirror.

"And he just ran up and asked me, just like that!"

The older girl smiled at her friend.. "Well, he was right, you know, you are smart and pretty, and I have not heard anything bad about him other than he is a bit of a ponce..so, give it a go, you might like him! Who knows?" she grinned at the girl..

Luna blushed and smiled back.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at this unspoken admission.

"Soooo, anything you want to tell me, Luna, dear?"

"Not just yet, ask me tomorrow.. "

"Good night Luna"

"Good Night Hermione"

The next morning, Justin met Luna at the entrance to he Great Hall and they talked about unimportant things as they had breakfast and when it was announced that the carriages were ready to transport the students, Justin rose and held out his hand

"Shall we Miss Lovegood?"

She held out her arm formally, like a queen

"We shall, Mr Finch-Fetchly"

and they made their way regally to the carriage.

Hogsmeade was bustling with life, as the students were swarming, glad to be free of the Castle for a few hours.. The shops were merrily advertising their wares and the Three Broomsticks and Madam Puddifoots tea room were doing a booming business.

The shops and whatnot farther back in the side streets and alleys were doing well also, mostly from local residents avoiding the rush of students, as life and business must go on. Deals for Hogs and fish and crops were being traded amongst the farm and livestock purveyors, And the various workmen from the branches of the magical world did their usual business.

One brick structure was not inhabited by humans at all, but was a local outlet for elves to acquire the groceries and needs to provide for their families, those elves who still were working for families, that is.

The biggest daily orders, of course were for Hogwarts and the daily shipments of foodstuffs and goods was quite large, as there were some four hundred students and staff to take care of, not to mention the daily needs of the livestock and creatures on the castle grounds.

Luna and Justin strolled along the main street and looked at things and commented on various and sundry, Justin from his muggle heritage and Luna from her own unique viewpoint.

Justin managed to ask a few pertinent questions that Luna didn't recognize as being a threat, and she kept her gift tightly under wraps, as she had been trained.

"So, you can see the futures that are possible based on any given decision?"

He was friendly and genuinely curious.

She smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes, but I have to know about the subject to be able to understand the possibility"

He tried to understand this

"So, if you wanted to see the outcome of the league football games you have to understand football, then"

"At the very least, I need to know the difference between Man U and Arsenal, Chelsea or Everton."

she blushed prettily

"To understand the game you have to understand who's playing."

Justin took her by the hand and walked her up a back alley out of sight of the schools prefects and adult supervision.

Luna was shivering with excitement, wondering what was going on, letting herself be led into the alley.

Justin found an out of the way nook and spun her into his arms and held her tightly for a moment.

She snuggled into the collar of his warm winter coat, a smile on her face, enjoying the body contact.

"Luna..I really like you, now that I have had a chance to talk to you." he spoke over her head, his breath drifting away as steam.

She started to reply and stand up to face him but he clutched her to his chest.

"I just wanted to say , I'm sorry"

He released her and stepped back as she raised her eyes questioningly.

Before she could speak, rough hands grabbed her and put a sack over her head and magic suppressing manacles on her wrists, and she was whisked away by a portkey.

and that is Chapter 26 now with more Luna..

soon to come, "Where in the World is Luna Lovegood?

TimW


	27. Chapter 27

****

Chapter 27

_Justin found an out of the way nook and spun her into his arms and held her tightly for a moment._

_She snuggled into the collar of his warm winter coat, a smile on her face, enjoying the body contact._

"_Luna..I really like you, now that I have had a chance to talk to you." he spoke over her head, his breath drifting away as steam._

_She started to reply and stand up to face him but he clutched her to his chest. _

"_I just wanted to say , I'm sorry"_

_He released her and stepped back as she raised her eyes questioningly._

_Before she could speak, rough hands grabbed her and put a sack over her head and magic suppressing manacles on her wrists, and she was whisked away by a portkey __

Filch was making the headcount on the returning students and when the last carriage arrived he

muttered about lollygagging students and wastrels..

He was in a better mood these days, but you had to be familiar with the man to recognize it, for it seemed that he was always angry and muttering.

The crate of tools chivvied up to him like a faithful dog, and Mrs Norris who was feeling a bit old and arthritic was riding the crate as if she were on a queen's sedan chair. Somehow the crate knew it had a rider and was very careful not to upset it's passenger.

If you listened to the muttering of the old man, you could hear that he was commenting on how nice it was to start getting the path up to the castle steps paved, what with Potter's invention, the students in detention did something constructive with their magic and not use it for trickery and pranks.

His latest victim..errr, subject was a fourth year Ravenclaw Jonathan Battersby, who was caught sneaking into the restricted section in search of invisibility spells, which he intended to use sneaking into the girls locker rooms. Battersby was operating the paving rune box, and had made six pavers in the path, a fairly good number for a fourth year wizard.

Filch called him over.

"Yer done here, put the tools up and before you go I have a message for you to deliver."

Battlersby hustled to get this done, for he was quite tired from his detention.

He waited for Filch to finish writing the note.

"Here take this to the Headmistress, she is in the Great Hall now. Hustle boy!

As theee boy hustled away Filch called out "And quit yer peeping, or yer gunna have detentions with me all year, ye hear?"

The Headmistress read the note

_Two students did not report back_

_J Finch-Fetchly and L Lovegood_

McGonnegal sighed.

Every Hogsmeade weekend, someone imbibes too much and ends up sleeping it off under a tree, or somesuch, or had a fight with their girlfriend or decided that he or she could sneak in without getting caught..

She looked at the names.. Miss Lovegood and Mr Finch-Fetchly. Hmm. Neither of them was a troublemaker or excessively out of control, these two hardly ever gave her problems, not like Potter or the Weasleys..She looked to the Ravenclaw table and gestured to Miss Patil who came up to the head table in answer.

"Yes Headmistress?"

"Miss Patil, do you know anything about Miss Lovegood staying in Hogsmeade?"

"No,Ma'am, I know she went this morning but I didn't know if she came back or not.. I don't recall seeing her this evening."

She looked over her shoulder and gave the Ravenclaw table a quick scan.

Padma Patil took her promise to Harry seriously, and intended to keep that promise and look out for Luna.

"Excuse me, Headmistress." She pulled out her mirror and activated it.

"Luna Lovegood"

silence

"Luna Lovegood , respond"

now she looked very worried.

She pushed another rune and called "S-G-Table has anyone seen Luna Lovegood"

This activated 'message waiting' alerts for all the members of the Smart Girls table, and since all of these young women were on the forefront of accepting new technology, thee was an instant response.

Padma expanded her mirror ad answered each in turn

Daphne: "I saw her in Hogsmeade, she looked happy with that Hufflepuff"

Tracey: "I saw them leave the 3 Broomsticks and head towards the business district"

Lillian Moon: "I was in the last carriage, and I didn't see them"

Su Li: "...

Padma took several more reports and noticed that Hermione was waiting.

She closed out all the other calls and answered

"What is going on, Padma, is Luna missing?" Hermione's face showed concern.

"Sorry, Hermione, I didn't want to bother you, but it seems that Luna and Justing Finch-Fetchly did not return from Hogsmeade today, Headmistress McGonnegal was asking me if I saw her , so.."

Hermione interrupted.

"Who is the last person to see her, do you know?"

"Of our group, Tracy Davis saw them heading away from the carriages towards the Business district of Hogsmeade, Lillian Moon said she was in the last carriage and they did not return ."

Hermione looked off screen as if interrupted by something.

"Harry is with the newly hatched Shala, but I think I can get away for a while.. I'm coming there within an hour, Please tell the Headmistress."

Padma was about to say something but Hermione was not there, in fact the mirror was abandoned still activated and off in the distance she could see  
Harry and Hermione herding a feisty young dragon back into the nest.

The floo in the Headmistress' office flared and Hermione, backed up by Lupin came through the green flames. And then four more people as well, armed and dangerous looking lycans under his command.

"Good Evening Headmistress, I hope it is acceptable that I brought some people from our security detail to help in the search."

Surprisingly, to McGonnegal it was not Lupin talking but Hermione.

"This is acceptable Miss Granger, under the circumstances, I am however displeased with you not returning to school this semester"

Hermione had the grace to blush.

"Priorities, Headmistress, priorities.. Harry and his needs will always be my first priority. Shala needs Harry, and Harry needs me, ergo, I am helping Harry with Shala, when it becomes apparent I can return to Hogwarts I will do so."

"However, the priority now is Luna. What can you tell us?"

Headmistress McGonnegal sighed.

"I suppose you know that Justin Finch-Fetchly asked her to go to Hogsmeade with him."

Hermione nodded. "I spoke with her yesterday about it, in fact now would be the time she was going to call me and tell how it went. So what happened?"

Lupin was whispering to his sub-vocal mike transferring information to his remote agents.

There were six agents scouring Hogsmeade for any evidence of foul play or just plain youthful exuberance. These six were also familiar with Luna's scent, as she had met them at one point or another in their security detail guarding her father.

"They failed to return with the carriages and Mr Filch was checking students in, and their name was on the list as absent."

Lupin interrupted.

"Excuse me ladies, my agents have found something"

he opened the mirror to wide screen and turned the sound on so everyone could hear.

"...found him stuffed behind a corral with the hogs. Looks like he was stunned and obliviated. No sign of Miss Luna."

Hermione spoke.

"Is there any magic traces obvious, apparition, portkey, anything?"

"This is the hardest part of Hogsmeade to trace anything Miss Hermione, the corrals portkey out over a hundred shipments a day. Between the dragon, the spiders and the magical populace, a lot of pork and beef get shipped, sorry"

a look of horror began to creep up on Hermione's face.

"they wouldn't send her to the spiders..?"

another agent chimed in.

"I checked that Miss H, the livestock portkeys have to be individually set and the elves in charge take their jobs seriously, no humans get transported to Spider Island by accident OR on purpose."

Everyone in the room sighed. Lupin spoke "Good, good.. keep looking and keep us informed."

he shut the mirror down and turned to the other agents. "Jimmy, you can sniff out better than any lycan I know, go see what you can do. You others, check Finch-Fetchly's quarters, but get permission from Professor Sprout before you do...Go"

the four lycans sprinted on out of the room and went about their orders.

"Report"  
the Lycan agents had arrived from Hogsmeade transporting the stunned and obliviated Justin.

"Mr Finch -Fetchly is being looked over by Madam Pomfrey and when he is released to our custody we will take him to Headquarters for interrogation."

Lupin nodded. "Good job, anything from his quarters?"

the three investigators nodded.

"We examined everything in situ' and photographed it all, and have collected the pertinent objects.. Jimmy found some hidden things that all of us overlooked, he is really good"

Lupin smiled at the youthful exuberance of his team.

"Anything from the neighborhood?"

The leader of the squad spread out the battle map of Hogsmeade and expanded an area.

"As far as we can tell, the couple came this way and ducked into this cove as if to snog, someone came from this direction and attacked them..and this, I think is the damning evidence..there is a portkey trace that we can't totally account for..even in spite of what I told Miss Hermione..

it looks as if he backed up when the unknown attacked and let them take her. I don't know it hat can be accounted to cowardice or complicity"

Lupin pondered this as Hermione entered the room. She stood next to the ex-professor and laid into the agent.

"if I find you deliberately withheld information from me I will be quite angry with you..you may answer to him, but he answers to Harry and ME. Got it?"

She never raised her voice, but the agent did indeed 'get it' The Lycan stood at attention like the soldier he was and answered "Ma'am, yes ma'am.!

"everything, I want to see everything you have, now. You first."

she pointed at the agent.

"Ma'am, we arrived at Hogsmeade insertion 1850 hours, divided the streets off in sectors, and covered every nook and cranny as quickly as we could..."

The Lycans had arrived at the Hogsmeade station, as it was a good starting point. On one side was Hogsmeade, on the other side was fields of barly and wheat, up on the foothills around the town livestock was grazing. Within ten minutes one of the agents found a trace of Luna,

They were all familiar with her, and her particular scent, as they had all been on Lovegood protection detail earlier that summer. The Lycan nose was an asset even when not transformed into a werewolf, and since being hired on by Harry's consortium, they had had traqining to increase their skills in tracking, investigating, identifying threats..

Luna's trace, along with an unfamiliar male trace was coming from a side street, and the searchers were careful to not disturb any evidence they found.

One of the team was floating overhead on a broom, wearing specialized glasses which showed a heat signature. He could see footprints and what appeared to be an attack from the blind side, at least apparently so. He swung around over the hog pens and there mixed in with the rising heat of the porcine livestock, he saw a human body, thrown carelessly behind a fence.

"Over there, Someone. Here catch."

He quickly photographed the unconscious teen where he lay, and then used as mobilcorpus and lifted the teen into the waiting arms of his partners.

"...and then we brought him here to be checked out. Danny, Sean and the lads are still searching the town, interviewing anyone, elves, the hag, anyone who can speak and see."

"Give it one more hour and pack up, I doubt there is any other evidence to be found."

"Yes sir" the agents saluted and left, leaving Hermione alone in the room with Lupin.

The older man sat there watching Hermione, who sat motionless, except for her eyes skipping over the evidence, her mind whirring like a machine, trying to collate all the information without any kind of guide or reference point.

"She is as special to you and Harry as you and Harry are to each other."

it wasn't a question.

Hermione's eyes flicked towards her former professor.

She took a deep breath and sighed.

"Yes"

"We'll find her."

Luna.

Without mental protections, without her wand, mirror, clothes or anything she had with her.

She woke to find herself dressed in a simple cotton shift, closer to a hospital robe than an actual dress.

On her wrists and ankles, metal bands, iron and something else, inscribed with magic supressing runes.

Even her radish earrings were gone.

She looks around . A simple room.

A bed, a toilet, a sink with a cup attached by a chain..

A chair with a table. Bolted to the floor..

A door which was standing open.

She was very thirsty and quietly tiptoed over to the sink to get a drink..

No windows or other ways to escape.

A prison.

A voice crackles from a spot on the ceiling.

"Miss Lovegood, you are awake. Proceed to the next room. Now."

it was an order.

She looked around nervously, hyper aware that she had no underwear on, wondering what was going to happen.

She was partially through the door when it slammed shut behind her, hitting her in the back and forcing her to stumble into the room.

There, a black leather chair, mounted solidly to the floor, facing twenty one television screens. Three rows of seven, with the center screen in the centeer row bigger than the others.

"Sit in the chair"

whoever was speaking expected instant obedience..

Luna sniffed.

"Who are you, why are you doing this to me, what do you want.?

"You will do as you are ordered or it will not be well for your father. Observe"

the center screen came into focus and Xeno Lovegood was strapped to a chair similar to the one in front of her. His head was rolling around as if he were drunk. A buzzer sounded and his body stiffened as if he were being electrocuted, for that is exactly wat was happening.

After one extremely long second, he collapsed limply on the chair, a groan escaping from his lips.

"Now, Miss Lovegood, get in the chair."

She hesitantly sits in the chair and as soon as she sits in the most natural position a hum begins and her arms and legs are snapped into position and held there by electromagnets.

Daddy.. Daddy! Can you hear me? Daddy!

"He cannot hear you Miss Lovegood, you can speak to him based on your performance."

"Perform well and you can have one minute speaking. Perform poorly and he will receive more shock treatments."

"Do you understand?"

Luna hesitantly nodded.

"Verbal answers Miss Lovegood, yes or no, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand"

"Good. First lesson. Pay attention to screen number one. Each screen has a corresponding number.

As the data is shown on each screen, you are required to make buy or sell decisions based on your perceptions of each. The point of this exercise is to maximise profit, to make the most money on each and every transaction. Do you understand?"

"yes I understand"

You have to make three correct decisions each hour, if you fail to make correct decisions your father will suffer the consequences. Observe"

On the center screen, the electricity arced and small arcs of lightning danced on the man's skin, leaving smoking burns. The time of this burst was three seconds, and Xeno Lovegood lost control of his bowels and bladder..

"Your first hour begins now"

a countdown clock appeared in a split screen with the image of the stunned Xeno Lovegood.

Luna had to work very hard to rip her eyes away from the image and force herself to look at the data streams on various market movements .

Each screen showed the current price, the historical high, low and daily movement for the previous year.

She watched for a while, hyperaware of the countdown clock and made a decision.

"Screen 7 buy, stop at 11 and ¾

Screen 2 sell half of available stock.

Screen 17 buy at 12-1/2 and hold for two hours."

The day wore on. She made it to the end of the first hour.

The second hour was much the same. At the end of the hour she asked for some water.

A door opened and a white frocked technician entered and held a water bottle with a straw to her lips. The eyes stayed expressionless and the mask did not reveal anything.

After she drank her fill, the technician left the room through the door behind, out of sight and out of reach.

At the end of the third hour, she had only made two good predictions, the third fell through, and her father was revived so he could be shocked again.

Three more hours passed and the screens went blank, the end of business for the day.

She let out the breath she was holding and asked

"Can I talk to my father?"

"You may"

"one minute"

the sound went live and Luna could hear her father muttering as the healers worked on him, keeping him alive to torture another day.

"Daddy" are you ok?"

"hu?".."luna sweetie, where are you?"

"I am a prisoner like you, Daddy.. they make me use my gift for guessing stocks, and punish you if I'm wrong.""I'm sorry Daddy, I'll try not to be wrong again"

"I think that you will find, that because they can, they will, regardless of your performance, so don't think it's your fault.. just survive, moonbeam, it will be all right."

"Daddy!" she cried out, tears flowing, but the image was gone, her minute was up.

"Return to your room"

the voice commanded.

She shuffled to her room and lay on the bed.

She was almost asleep when a humming seized her arms and legs and she was stretched out on the bed with her wrists and ankles captured by the magnetic field.

Once incapacitated, a hidden door opened and in strolled a healer and two assistants.

The healer did a cursory examination and forced some potions down her throat.

"Nutritional supplements, you know, you mustn't get sick or weak."

The healer and the assistants were masked , only their eyes showing.

Luna spoke.

"Why are you doing this. Don't you know who will come for you?, don't you value your own lives?"

the assistants guffawed as well as the healer who rolled his eyes.

"We have you hidden in a secret location under heavy wards AND a fidelious charm, no one, and I mean no one is going to find you. You are ours until we let you go."

"For what it's worth, you earned us half a billion pounds today, little missy, you're our golden goose."

Luna just looked.

And smiled.

The healer looked worried at her smile. "Out, out, we're done here" he sounded angry, somehow.

Harry was at the University plaza tending to Shala nad making sure she was warm and fed, and had begun the transfer of personality and memories. '

He noticed that he hadn't seen Hermione for several hours and called on his mirror.

"Where are you, is everything ok?" when did you leave?"

"everything is under control, I am at Hogwarts with Moody and Lupin, we are searching for

Luna"

"Luna?, whats going on, is she ok?"

"We don't know, she was abducted this afternoon and no one knows where she is just yet, but we are working on it."

Harry began to get very angry, but controlled.

"Who, what information do you have, I'll..I'll.."

"You will do nothing until we have all the evidence, I don't believe she is in any real danger, but we are working as quickly as possible, just in case.

His face grew grim. "Who"

Hermione sighed. "She was in Hogsmeade with Justin Finch-Fetchly when she was abducted, he doesn't remember anything, he was stunned and obliviated and thrown in the hog pens." her eyes flicked off screen.

"I'm going to use the little dragon and enter his mind to see if I can retrieve the memories like you did with Lavender and Parvati, I will keep you informed, your duty right now is to stay with Shala and see to it that she is protected and the memories undamaged. Right?"

Harry looked sheepish. Right.. I suppose...have you tried trackers?"

"she was taken by portkey"

"ok. a portkey tracker?"

"We are pretty close to finding it amongst several hundred other portkeys sent out of the same area today..it's right next to the livestock pens."

He shrunk back from his anger , understanding that Hermione had the situation under control.

"Lupin has his best investigators on it, and we will find anything we can , Moody is advising, and we have sent a message to Xeno Lovegood, he is supposed to be in Norway this week, so we haven't heard anything yet"

Harry looked pensive in his mirror.

"Dobby!"

The elf appeared next to Harry

"Hello Harry Potter sir. What can I do for you today?"

"Hi Dobby, we need your advice, you and your people know how to find a person, right?"

Dobby nodded. "If'n it is one of elfs family that person can be found anywhere, if it is not of elfs family, it might take a bit longer, bu still can be found..who are you looking for?"

"Luna,

Luna Lovegood had been taken by someone this afternoon, from an alley in Hogsmeade..."

Harry watched as Dobby communed with the elven gestalt and questione many elves from a distance. After a moment he sighed.

"None of the elves I spoke to have seen her. Many know her, most know of her, but we cannot find her just yet."

Winky had appeared.

"Where is Miss Luna?"

Dobby asked as Winky appeared.

Winky had been watching over Luna, Padma and Hermione the previous year was probably as close to Luna as a family elf.

Winky stood, swaying and Dobby held her from falling over as she exerted herself.

After a long forty seconds she opened her eyes.

"She is hidden. I cannot tell where. She is scared and worried about her father.

He is nearby.

She is hidden away"

Winky passed out from the exertion, and Dobby gently lay her on a conjured couch.

"Did you hear that, Hermione? She's alive and unhurt somewhere, but hidden." he turned to Dobby who was worrying over Winky.

"Is there any way you know of to map hidden places? Say, start out with the ones we know and go from there?"

Dobby nodded. "Yes we can do it, but it will take many elves."

"Ok."

he stood straight.

"I Lord Harry James Potter call all Potter and Black elves available to me"

he was soon surrounded by elves. Freed elves, unfreed elves, those whose bonds had been cut and those who had not. The freed elves were all healthy and full grown, almost human looking, as were  
Winky and Dobby. The unfreed elves were all scrawny and stunted as Dobby had been when Harry had first met him.

Winky spoke.

"My Miss Luna has been taken and I cannot find her. I can feel her and she is scared and worried. I need your help to find her in one of the hidden places."

A simple declarative and all the elves immediately set about the task.

Each elf came to Winky one at a time and gazed into her eyes for less than a second and received a magical 'sniff' of Luna.

Having done so, each elf popped away.

Dobby made a map of the Uk, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, England and part of France.. As each elf popped away to search, more and more dots appeared on the map, each representing a 'hidden place'

It took more than two hours to cover the entire map, but hen it was done, they believed they had found every hidden place. As each elf returned, they reported what they had found and a list was made.

Of all the three hundred plus sites found most were too small to hide a person, most were stashes of artifacts, money, dark objects, and in some cases bodies. None of this was useful in the search other than confirmation of Luna's absence.

An elf popped in and quietly conferred with Dobby who called Winky. The elf showed them the memory of what he had felt and seen, but that there was an elf ward keeping him out.

Twenty minutes later Lupin and a full squad of Lycans paused to look up at the twenty story building in the center of London. Hermione was there as well, dressed in her armored jacket

Harry was still busy tied to dealing with Shala so she did this all on her own.. in fact she wouldn't even tell Harry about it until much later.

The squad infiltrated the building, the Rosswrock Building, she idly noted.

She walked up to the security desk and spoke top the guard.

""Do you know if Mr Xavier Finch-Fetchly is available? I need to speak with him."

The guard quirked an eyebrow.

"And who are you that you need to speak with the likes of Mr Finch-Fetchly? He doesn't see just anyone.

"His son is a classmate of mine and has been taken in by the Police as a suspect in an abduction and possible murder, you would do well to let him know I am here."

The security guard made a call and shortly Hermione was surrounded by several men in black suits and sunglasses.

"five guards for just me? Hmm. I'm insulted."

The dour faced men just looked dour

"follow me please"

she followed them into a large mirrored elevator

by followed of course meant she was surrounded at all times.

The doors closed.

The one who spoke did so again.

"Wand please"

Indifferently she pulled a wand out of her sleeve and handed it over.

"And the one in your right boot as well"

she gave him her own dour look and pulled it out

She rolled her eyes, channeling Lavender and tried to put a vapid look on her face.

The elevator opened into a beautifully ornate office where a world class receptionist tried and failed to intimidate.

The inner door opened and she was led in to an opulent office.

A tall handsome man stood.

"Hello Miss Granger, or should I say, Lady Potter-to-be"

She tilted her head in greetings, but said nothing.

Deep n her inner ear a quiet voice spoke from a charmed chip.

"We are in position"

"Mr Finch-Fetchly, You have my friend Luna. I want her back, and her father Xeno as well. I want her back unharmed and in perfect condition."

The man, who looked quite like his son, only older and somewhat more distinguished.

"You have quite the nerve to come here and speak like that to me, missy, I am a powerful man, I control billions of pounds in commerce every day, I could buy and sell your father and UK Dental on a whim if I chose to. What I am saying here is that I don't intimidate well, if at all, and there is nothing you have that scares me. Whether I have your friend or not is irrelevant and there's nothing you can do about it."

"So, you perceive me as a mere annoyance then?"

"You are a fifteen year old girl, I hardly think you would try anything.."

before he could finish the sentence, the five security agents were down, unconscious and bleeding, and Hermione put away her quarterstaff in her bag.

The building shook with an explosion

"My people are taking the building, and you with it.

You have stood against me and my family and crossed he line when you took  
Luna. You obviously are a wizard or have one who works for you,

I am a witch and my betrothed is a wizard, one you should not have crossed."

The man fumbled in a desk drawer for a wand or a gun or something. A wave of her hand and the desk exploded into a million splinters. The man fell back and slammed against the glass wall overlooking the financial district of London.

He slid down in a heap on the floor, eyes wide, staring at the girl.

She made a show of touching her ear as if speaking to a remote listener(for she did)

"Noah, yes, Hermione. Remember what we spoke of, the contingency plan for the Finch-Fetchly situation? Take it down, take everything they have, leave them penniless and in debt. "

"Begin.."

She made as if to sign off.

"That was Noah Weasley, perhaps you know him, he controls the biggest and most powerful industrial group in the world, as well as all the associated businesses that provide food, schooling, services, energy, the works.. THAT Noah Weasley.. he works for Harry and I. HE does these things at OUR bidding. And Xavier, may I call you Xavier? By the end of business today, you are going to be not only broke, but in debt up to your ears to a great many dangerous people.. SO.. whoever it was that advised you that you could take a friend of ours for your purposes, well, they were wrong."

in her ear: "Building secured, hostages retrieved.

"Get them to the infirmary. I'll meet you."

She turned to leave.

The man on the floor was watching the big screens that lined his office watching as his fortunes drained away, as every short call was called in, that every mortgage came due at once.

He went pale as the blood drained from his face.

"How..how did you know"

"The obliviator that you used on Justin can't overcome Dragon legilimancy. I saw the whole plan.

You had your son bring Luna to the abduction point, convinced that you were in danger, nicely done that, and in order to 'save your life' he was willing to risk the life of a classmate. Then you gave him a seemingly perfect alibi, obliviation and imperious, who's to know who really did it?" Justin was just a pawn in your game."\

Part of Lupin's squad entered the room, weapons at the ready.

"Ready to go Miss?"

"Are Luna and her father ok?"

"They are with the medical division now."

"Good. Lets go." she turned and walked out the door without another word.

After Action debriefing and assessment

Harry was listening in by Mirror as he couldn't leave his friend Shala's side for at least aanother week.

"Yesterday at 1800 hours Luna was taken away with a portkey supplied by a Lewis

Grizzard, a wizard in the hire of Xavier Finch-Fetchly.

It appears that Mr Finch-Fetchly has a forward looking personality,and as soon as he found that his son was a wizard, he investigated the magical world and recruited a few people who could work with a 'muggle'.

"Over the last year he had investigated and found out about the gifts that Luna has, the gift of seeing potential outcomes to individual actions, and decided that this would be useful in his search for profit..how much has he invested in this plot, Nolan?"

Nolan Weasley laid a single sheet of parchment on the table in front of him and it was projected to everyone's mirror.

"According to his secret books , the P/L sheet says his investment was just over 3 million pounds, creating the rooms, the magical sinks to trap the prisoners, the torture camber and the runic tools to do the job."

"And how much was made from this exercise?

This was asked by Ted Tonks who was the head of the legal division.

"Well, if every payment has been tracked properly, then this made 437 million pounds, quite a substantial gain for one day of operation"

"I'd say., but I think the cost is too high" This from the medical division

"Is there something to report?"

Healer Marcus Pomfrey laid his report on the table.

"Miss Lovegood will be fine, she is quite resilient in her physical health, as she is young and adaptable. I find it quite intriguing how much a human can take and survive, and the opposite, how little it takes to kill someone.."

"Healer Pomfrey, what are you not saying?"  
"I suspect Mr Xeno Lovegood is not long for this world."

"How so?"

"He was tortured for more than a day with electric shock treatment, and this has burned out the nerves controlling his heart rhythm.. as well as.."

a beeping sound and the healer stopped and looked at his pager.

A small sheet of parchment extruded from the device and he read it quickly.

He sighed. "It would appear that we are too late, Xeno Lovegood died ten minutes ago. He put his pager away and looked around.

"my other patient, Miss Lovegood. Is there anyone who will take care of her?

Before anyone could say anything, Harry interrupted

"Lupin. Have Finch-Fetchly and son transferred to the brig and set them up for questioning.

Nolan, Fluer, I want you to dismantle the Finch-Fetchly empire, leave no stone unturned, leave them nothing, burn the villages and salt the earth, got it?

Nolan Weasley knew Harry was speaking metaphorically, but when he was done, there would be no trace of the muggle businessman's empire, lands, anything.

The financial wizard nodded sagely, knowing that the process was already underway.

"I want them charged with murder by torture, kidnapping, any thing we can make stick."

"Find that healer who was keeping them alive and I want him charged with malpractice, aiding and abetting torture, treat him like you would Mengele'

"Find any wizard or magical that helped with this fiasco and charge them accordingly.

Hermione find Luna and stay by her side, she has no family left now, she needs someone she can trust. I suspect she will trust you, I will be there as soon as I can."

"Sirius take the lead on the magical side, talk to Amelia and we will put an end to this kind of thing..

Ask Arthur if he has any ideas."

he paused for a moment.

"What am I forgetting?"

Hermione looked stunned, and just shook her head not saying anything.

Harry got a revelation.

"Scuse me, I have to call a bug."

he signed off.

Mmail to:

Amorita Sketerson. Urgent:

Mmail from:Harry James Potter

please return to UK ASAP

Xeno Lovegood Dead

You need to be here to run the Quibbler

I don't trust anyone else to do it

Contact me ASAP

HJP

She was in a quandry and was mildly thankful for having fate decide for her.

Her father had gone over, and he spent all his time now as his animagus form, and she knew her mother only turned to human form out of duty to her.

Amorita's father was a large sea going beast, and now that he was old and worn out, spent his days floating in a sunny fjiord eating herring and whatever nature provided.  
Both is wife and daughter fully expected him to disappear one day, just swim out to sea and never to be seen again.  
Her mother spent time , as much as possible in her form as a selkie staying near her husband, and the next time she came up fo shore time, her daughter was waiting.

"mum, I have to go. A friend has died, and they need me to run his business for him."

"so you are leaving us."

"that's what I said, mum. You know dad isn't coming back, as well as I do"

"I suppose you're right, dear."

"yes mum. You need to go to him. Don't worry about me, you go with him. If you came back, I will be here for you, but I want you and Da to be happy."

"if you're sure.."

the woman hugged her mother.

"Go, mum. I have put wards on the house to inform me of your condition, and I am leaving a communications mirror here as well."

She really didn't think there was much chance hat her mum would use it, but it's the thought that counts.

When are you leaving?"

"In a few minutes, they really need me.."

"so you have changed who you are, have you Rita?"

She was somewhat embarrassed at her previous persona

"I am using the name you gave me mum.. I need to live up to that name. I want you and da to be proud of me."

the older woman hugged her daughter "We have always been proud of you Amorita, it's what a parent does.."

she kissed her daughter on the forehead and stepped back. Her body shifted into her selkie form and slipped off into the water. The last that 'Rita' saw of her mum was a tailfin flip in the air.

Fleur DelaCour and Nolan Weasley worked almost around the clock going through the former XFF Investments and had interns going through all the messages and transactions for each of the 'clients ' of this group, and not surprisingly, found evidence of corruption and underhanded deals, of things skirting the edge of legality.

Once that part of the plan was in place, each part of the investment portfolio was packaged and sold off as quickly as possible, making sure that none of the proceeds made it back to the XFFI company.. At first Fleur asked if this was ethical to do, and Nolan informed her that he was in the process of acquiring all the investments at pennies on the pound, and indeed he held the different investments legally. He showed her how to do this and she took to it like it were her trade for decades. To the point that the elder sat back and watched. At the end of business for the day, hey were going over the day's numbers, and gearing up for the American cycle, and then the Asian markets, Nolan asked Fleur how it felt.

She pondered for a moment and spoke.

« C'était assez grisant, comme si j'étais un prédateur en chasse, un Guépard attaquant une gazelle «

he just nodded. oui, oui, il est tout à fait un plaisir n'est-il pas "

(It was quite exhilarating, as if I were a predator on the hunt, a Cheetah attacking a gazelle)

(yes, yes, it is quite a thrill isn't it")

So there we have it. The one who plotted and the one who abducted Luna with profit in mind. So, if Xavier Finch-Fetchly had been a wizard, he most likely would have been a Slytherin, Ambitious and Cunning. Driven by profit by whatever means necessary

Did anyone catch that bit of Hermione's 'wandless magic?' how did she do that? Hmmm?

Xeno is dead, leaving Luna alone. Why doesn't Harry use the Hallows to bring him back? The body is still warm, no?

Harry has a Howard Beale moment and takes charge, well, at least he starts ordering the people who work for him to do the tasks they were hired for.

Fleur has a realization of the art of economic warfare, and how to wage it.

Rita gets another chance to do what's right.

And then there's the conversation from Chapter 17, added here:

_Chapter 17_

_Magorian continued._

_"This is Wizard Lord Harry Potter, His consorts Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood and his adviser Sirius Black"_

_Harry was stunned by the announcement of his relationship with the young women, but kept it contained as Hermione elbowed him._

_"Harry, you haven't made any moves toward taking Luna as a consort have you?, I think I would know, I'm with you all the time!"_

_"No love, I have not, but then, Magorian is the chief of the greatest diviners there are, they see something there between us, but who knows how many years off it is, or the circumstances?"_

_"Do not fear my Hermione, I am not leaving you for another, you are my first and as far as I am concerned, my only."_

_"I do love you, Harry, I don't want to lose you to another, You know how I get.." "I know love, but forget that, I think you are beautiful and that's all that matters to me, I love your heart and your mind and your cute little dimple, and your bushy amazing hair.."_

_"..." "Smile" "not here, Harry!"_

_He grinned and looked in her direction. She blushed and glared at him._

_She thought no one noticed but Luna came up beside Hermione and put her arms around the older girl, and held her tightly. Hermione looked a bit shocked and slowly put her arms around the young Ravenclaw, holding her, and protecting her against whatever fears were worrying the girl._

_Luna whispered in Hermione's ear, and the older girl relaxed a bit._

_"I need to go with you, I need to speak with your mother, please?"_

_Hermione, being the caring young woman she was immediately put her heart out to her friend, and embraced her._

_What does this mean for the relationship of the three teens? Is it a twofer, a threesome? Is it a platonic relationship? Luna is just 13, remember.. _

_All this and more Chapter 28._


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

AN. I am retconning some comments and plot point in an earlier chapter about vampires, because of a continuity error on my part.

Nevertheless, Sparklepires, gotta stake em all!

and the story is coming closer to an end..

from Chapter 21:

"Harry, Luna showed me some memories you need to know about."  
I will show you two things, and I want you to do something for me, please.  
"Anything for you, love"  
"Set a squad of lycans, goblins, guards around Xeno Lovegood for the time being,  
don't let him go a day or an hour without some kind of guard, and assign someone  
to escort Luna whenever she is out of out of our protected places.. anywhere  
public.  
"I will see to it today, may I ask why?"  
"Because if Mr Lovegood is not protected, he is tortured and killed while Luna  
watches, and she will be assaulted, terribly so, I do not want either of those  
things to happen."

aftermath of the attack and death of Xeno Lovegood.

"I don't understand how this happened , Harry, you did what I asked, you  
assigned the lycan security forces around Xeno , but he was captured anyway, you  
captured Bellatrix and put her in prison as well, how did this happen?"

Hermione sat with Harry on the terrace of Black University watching over Shala  
as she grew in size and strength.

"From what Lupin tells me, he refused his usual guard, as he was on a long term  
search for one of his creatures, and he was afraid that the 'were' blood would  
scare off his prey.. and he figured that one of he mountain forests of Norway  
was about as remote as you can get , so who would find him?"

"Well, it didn't work.. what are we going to do about Luna?"  
Harry stared at the table in front of him.  
"I don't know.. does she have any other family?"  
"None that I know of. We need to talk to Selene"  
he was speaking of the portrait that Harry had commissioned as a gift for his  
friend.  
He stood "Where is she now?"  
Hermione stood to follow him

"Healer Jalpa has her sedated in the infirmary, although she wasn't physically  
abused the healers decided that it was best to observe her for a day or so"  
"Lets go"

o 0 o

they threaded their way through the complex of corridors to the infirmary where  
the blond girl lay sleeping.

"could you call him back? You are the master of death, are you not?"  
Harry shook his head.  
"No, the last time I was on the other side, I spoke with Death and had her  
remove the enchantments on the Hallows, now they are just a wand, a ring and a  
cloak, nothing more."

"Oh.

They walked in silence and entered the healers' offices.

Marcus Pomfrey looked up at their arrival  
"Ah, Mr Potter, Miss Granger, just the people I wanted to see. Have you found  
any relatives for Miss Lovegood?"

Harry looked down. "None that we can find at the moment.. we are looking and  
will let you know."  
"Well, unfortunately, if I can't find a guardian for the child, I will have to  
contact the Ministry for their input"

Harry frowned. Although the Ministry had been severely revamped in the way  
things were run, he suspected that there were some gaps in the services provided  
for those magicals in need, and he took up the problem.

"I don't want her lost in the system and have her feel abandoned, As Head of  
the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, I will take responsibility for Miss  
Lovegood, until her relatives can be found."  
A flash of magic and Harry found himself holding a parchment that gave him  
authority to look after the needs and responsibility for one Luna Selene  
Lovegood, with his name signed on the bottom. He read the document , which  
stated that on this date and time he had assumed responsibility for the ancient  
and honorable line of Lovegood, which was signed over three years before by  
Xeno Lovegood. It read in part  
"I, Xenophilus Lovegood, upon consultation with the Oracle of Delphi have  
decided that it is in the best interests of my beloved daughter Luna Selene  
Lovegood, to create this document and leave it in the care of Pythia, my Aunt  
in the event of my death. I know not the circumstances, but Pythia says that it  
will give Luna the best chance for a happy life."

Harry was astounded to see the signatures and dates on the document and  
wondered at the magic that found its way to here.

He handed the parchment to Hermione who scanned the legalese written there.  
He closed his eyes in pain wondering what, exactly he had done to deserve this..

he took a stab in the dark.

"Healer Pomfrey, assume that I was able to bring back the spirit of Xeno  
Lovegood to his body, and bind them back together , could he be revived?"

Pomfrey pulled out a clipboard and looked at the documents there.  
"This is the autopsy report on the late Mr Lovegood...in short, no, his body was  
too badly damaged by the use of electricity in torture, his heart is literally  
burned, as well as a major part of his nervous system.. we don't have the  
capability to repair that kind of damage at this point.. we might have , if he  
was still before the point of death, but now it's too late., sorry" He snapped  
the clipboard shut and put it back on it's hook.

"Hmm. It was a long shot anyway.. I don't really feel comfortable pulling people  
back from the afterlife anyway, I'm glad the Hallows are gone. One less thing to  
worry about.. oh well, I will.."

he received a poke in his side he looked at Hermione and took her by the hand.

"We will do the best we can and provide for our friend. So how is she is very  
important to us.  
So" he indicated the document "how is she?"

0o0

Luna was dreaming.

"Love we will be waiting for you, but we don't want you to come here for a long  
time."  
she felt her mother's arms embrace her, and her father's as well. She was  
crying.  
"But I will be all alone, no one will want me, they will call me names and  
forget me.."  
Xeno squeezed his wife and child.  
"No, you will be loved, you will have a family, you will have a good life, love,  
please believe me."  
"But I don't want to leave.. I'm scared, daddy, mummy.. don't make me leave."  
"It's time, Luna love.. I will come to you in my portrait, ok?"

she cried some more.

'yes mummy.'

'just remember we love you.. now go, I arranged a home for you four years  
ago..after  
I lost your mother, they will love you as their own."  
"Who"  
"Just go, love."  
and her parents faded into nothingness.  
Luna gasped and cried out "MUMMY" as she awoke with a start.

Hermione held the young girl tightly as she gasped for air, and Harry hovered,  
not entirely sure of what to do.

Harry started to advance and lay hands on Luna, to comfort her in the only way  
he could think of at the moment, but Hermione waved him off mouthing to him,  
'not now' so he hesitated, and nodded in assent.

Inside Hermione was fretting over the right thing to do, her friend had just  
lost her father and now was effectively an orphan at the age of thirteen. A  
myriad of possibilities whirled through her mind and she grasped onto one with  
both hands.

She whispered over Luna's shoulder to Harry.

"Call my mum and dad, they'll know what to do."

Having a course of action, Harry opened the mirror connection and was soon  
giving Jake and Miranda warning to expect an elf in short order to transport  
them.

Winky had finally appeared, as she had taken Luna as her own, after having  
watched over her for the previous year in school.

The elves cataloged all the hidden places to be investigated as soon as possible, and passed on the information to the security department.

Luna clung onto Hermione, she had stopped crying and was now just sniffing and red-eyed as Jake and Miranda arrived in the room.

Harry had briefed them on what to expect, and they were familiar with both Luna and her father, as well as Selene, as they had spoken to her portrait and her spirit.

Miranda put her arms around the two girls and Jake put his arms around that group, with Luna at the middle.

Sirius and Amelia were in the office of the Head of the DMLE.

"What are the charges that we can come up with that will legal stop this kind of thing from happening again?"

Amelia shook her ahead. "Nothing I can see, that wouldn't cause problems.. The wizard had a contract, though verbal was binding, as he swore on his magic, the mugg- er.. mundane had it sewed up tight, using language created by his solicitors.. All we can do is put out the word that if a wizard is found committing a criminal act on either side, magical or mundane, they will pay to the fullest penalty of the law.. we can't stop collaboration in the name of the secrecy anymore, just that they can't deliberately break the secrecy.. ..Finch-Fetchly knew all about the magical world through his son, and apparently from some squib forebears as well."

Sirius thought about it for a moment.

"If there were ...say.. an oversight or watcher's committee watching business deals, collaborations, and the like, similar to the SEC overlooking the financial markets.."

Amelia looked out the windows over the city.

"We will have to run the whole idea past the legal department.. I hesitate to make more laws restricting business and fair trade.. we just went through a revolution and coup de tat to eliminate unfair and restrictive laws."

Sirius sighed. "I have to make some calls."

He activated his mirror and began

"Andi, Ted,I need your advice on the new Legal and Government departments at the Uni., call me"

Dr Martin Ellingham stood and greeted Miranda and Hermione, as they escorted Luna into his office.

Doctor Ellingham, a tall and dour looking man, who looked as if he were made out of putty in the vague shape of a man.

His ears stuck out unevenly, his legs were uneven and his fingers trembled as he sat down.1

"Miss Lovegood, Mrs and Miss Granger, I am pleased to meet you all, and I hope that I can be of some help to you."

Miranda began to speak, but was interrupted by her daughter.

"Doctor Ellingham, before we begin, I want to know why you think you are qualified to help my friend Luna, She is very important to my betrothed and myself as well as the rest of my family"

she took a breath.. "Your biographical data doesn't really tell any reason why you are considered the foremost authority on stress and grief"

Ellingham smiled and tapped his fingers together

"I understand Miss Lovegood has had some training and assistance from Mr Alexander Cromwell"

Luna nodded

"Well, Alexander trained me as well, and in so doing he saved my life, although it was an unintended consequence.. what he taught me was essential in helping me survive my own...trauma."

he continued.

My mind was ..broken, when I was a victim of the torture of our recently deceased dark lord" his eyes acknowledged the efforts of Harry and Hermione.

"The former dark lord broke my mind and I had to protect it. In the process, I had saved the parts of my mind separately, and thus was able to deal with each part of the damage to myself in stages.. and thus was more easily able to understand the process."

Hermione looked at the man with a question in her eyes.

"Process?"

yes, Miss Granger.. Grief is dealt with in many ways, but the stages of grief are the same, Each person deals with them in different way, and I intend to help Miss Lovegood deal with each of the stages in her own ways, and help her heal from the pain"

"Stages?"

he sighed. "There are five stages to grief."

Denial: "This can't be happening to me."

Anger: "Why is this happening? Who is to blame?"

Bargaining: "Make this not happen, and in return I will _."

Depression: "I'm too sad to do anything."

Acceptance: "I'm at peace with what happened."

Luna finally spoke

"I don't want to forget my father! You can't make me!"

she thrust her face into Miranda's shoulder and the woman held her tightly.

Ellingham answered kindly

"We will not be making you forget your father, or his memory or anything of the sort, all we are going to do is help you to deal with the pain of losing his presence and his love for you...Luna"

"Lets start with the denial...When I was held for those four months being tortured by the ..creature and his followers, one of the last things they did to me before he was banished the first time was to vanish all my bones.. all of them.. you see this stiff suit I wear, it is what keeps me in shape, and allows me to walk.. Imagine if you can, just trying to breath, let alone getting around without bones.. do you think I asked God and Merlin and anyone Why me? Why now?"

Many times I wish I could slouch around in a t-shirt and shorts instead, but that's just a personal thing.." tell me how you feel Miss Luna"

Eventually Hermione and Miranda felt comfortable enough to let Luna's counseling continue.

The couple was waiting in the outer office, waiting for Luna's therapy session to end.

Both were using their mirrors to communicate with various and sundry people around the world..

"... all right, all right, just so you understand, from this day forth my official residence is Potter's Keep, it is the most secure place I can think of right now..yes, if you need to contact me, use the mail drop through Gringotts, for a fee, the goblins will do anything legal and some things not so legal."

he nodded. "Ok, bye." He closed the contact on the mirror as Hermione continued her conversation with her mother.

"I will, mum, ok, if we have any problems, I'll call you. Love you, bye.."

She slouched back on the office couch with the mirror in her lap and sighed.

"Mum says she is too young to be a grandmother, and that I'm too young to be a mother..what are we going to do, love?"

"We will take care of Luna as if she were our little sister, and protect her and love her like she was born as our sibling"

He leaned over and put his arms around her.

"If we need help watching over Luna, we will ask the experts, your mum and dad, since you turned out pretty good, I'm sure their advice to us will be good."

Hermione was about to reply but was interrupted by the inner office door opening.

Luna came out , followed by the stiff gait of Dr Ellingham.

Luna ran into the arms of her faux siblings and huddled there. Dr Ellingham spoke

"I will see you Tuesday, Miss Luna, same time. Work on those exercises please, it will help, I promise"

Hermione wrote a note on her mirror, using the calender/schedule function, and put it away, thanking the Doctor/healer for his help.

Harry took out his portkey and the three of them held each other and vanished from the office.

Ellingham sighed and shook his head and stumped back into his office, and through into a private room behind. He stood next to a large bowl and, having touched a button on his collar, his suit opened up like a zipper and he flowed out of the suit into the bowl.

The threesome landed at the portal of Potter's Keep. The first thing Harry noticed was that the rail he had requested had been installed on the opening side of the stone tower. Hermione unconsciously moved away from that side of the hall, even though she now had flying skills and was proficient with those skills, some would say very proficient, as she had received invitations from several Quidditch teams based on her recent flight with the Roc, nevertheless, she still was cautious around heights, and the opening to the outside sky surely was a height to be respected.

She once calculated how long it would take to hit the ocean below and shuddered at the thought.

"come on Luna, you're staying with us, I had the staff make you your own private room in our quarters, and the Keep is probably the most secure place on Earth, so you will be safe here, and we also have an enormous library for you to explore."

The couple went through the corridors to the private area holding the blond girl between them.

They stopped at the door and Harry laid his hand on it, indicating Luna to do the same.

"Luna Selene Lovegood has full access at all times. This is her home."

The door pulsed with a red light and the runes faded after a second.

Harry pushed the door open and the females entered the door ahead of him.

Winky was already there, and had made tea and a light meal.

Luna saw the elvin woman and ran to her , enveloping her in a hug.

"Welcome home Miss Luna"

"I have your room ready for you"

The elf woman extricated herself from Luna's grip and took the young girl by the hand. "Come with me." Harry and Hermione just stood, in awe of the take-charge attitude of the former house elf.

"I have a surprise for you, Mister Harry made sure for it to happen.." they disappeared into a private suite of rooms.. a bedroom, a private bath, a study/office whatever room.

Here's what I wanted to show you.. Mister Harry had Miss Harrison get this done right away."

Winky had Luna stand in front of a cloth draped tripod.

She pulled off the cloth and Luna gasped

"Hello Luna Love"

Xeno and Selene Lovegood stood arm in arm, beaming at their daughter

"Mummy! Daddy!

_**fast forward.**_

Ellingham introduces

Luna to one of his other patients, a young man whose father was killed in a very public terrorist attack.

The father threw himself over his wife and child and they survived, but the man himself died. In the same attack his mother was injured seriously and she retired from her duties, leaving the boy's mother to fill in.

The boy in question was Edward, the heir apparent of the King of England, and his father had only been king for a few years, since right after his parents married. His Grandmother had been Queen for almost fifty years before him, and now it was down to young Edward.

Edward and Luna became very close friends and spent as much time as they were allowed to be together.

Harry and Hermione pulled back to The Keep and continued their education, Hermione specializing in Healing and Medical training, on both sides of the magical divide.. She took three years of intensive training with the best Healers in the UK and the continent, as well as a full time internship with the mundane medical community. How? By using a time turner, of course.. one day on, one day off.

Harry spent much time repairing his mental damage, and kept his promise to Hermione, only keeping seven avatars working in his mind at any one time, and he spent the time-turned days with Hermione as well. On his 'Normal day' he did the daily business of life, taking care of business, literally, since he had created an empire of sorts, not to mention that which he had inherited from his parents and Grandparents.

On his 'Turned Day' he went into meditation and communing with Shala.

He went back over the several years under Dumbledore's thumb and retrieved the obliviated memories that were left, well, what he cold.. Along the way he ended up creating a time-line for the old man, tracking some of his actions and plots, and if he could helping the other victims of the old man.

He tried to spend time with Sirius when he could, but Sirius had a full schedule of his own, between the military tribunal overseeing the building of a new magical government, Sirius and Amelia Bones were becoming an item, and whenever they could, they escaped to some sandy beach blanket bingo..

When Harry asked when and if he was going to become an uncle to a little Padfoot puppy, all he got was a deep blush from his errant godfather.

Harry posted his '_Old Bastard's Time line'_ in the public domain of the history department at Black University, and invited others to add to it, as long as they could corroborate their additions, and it became the basis of much discussion and speculation as to what the old man had been planning.

Black University grew and grew, until it took over almost a half mile square of London, both on the surface and underground.

The goblins and dwarves oversaw the excavations and many of the wizards and different peoples from around the world participated in adding to the knowledge base.

Different areas of research were opened up by the opportunities offered to the first-gen mages, and those disaffected from around the world.. it became a Mecca of magical knowledge and all different peoples were welcomed with open arms, as long as they were aligned for what is right and proper. A few very dark wizards were captured trying to infiltrate and the appropriate punishment was given.

Every master around the world was given a chance at sharing their gifts, some took it, some did not..

All in all, a golden age of knowledge seeking and collection.

Shala spent several hours a week sharing her stories with historians, and some of the stories were so outrageous that they couldn't conceive of the events... such as the battle between a self-proclaimed god, and a warrior prince, the stuff of legend. Great gouts of magic were thrown around, weather elementals were pushing the atmosphere to and fro, changing the weather patterns, civilizations rose and fell, great floods washed across the continents, magic brought up land from the sea, and sank a great nation beneath the sea.

Shala described Atlantis and her people and the aftermath of the battles, where a great expanse of the continent of Africa which had been green verdant earth and forests and farmlands was now covered with sand and dry as could be, the Sahara.

A student who had seen some of these stories took that to heart and when he went home to America, decided to make himself a name and some money at the same time. He worked up a plan with a cohort, a developer and land speculator who bought up malls and business leases and insured them heavily, and once having done so, the student-mage manipulated the weather, literally riding on the back of tornadoes, guiding them to hit and destroy the insured properties.

This however did not consider the damage done to the uninvolved people in between, and they suffered much collateral damage.

Once the American Aurors captured the conspirators, they were named 'the Pecos Bill Gang'

Over the three years of Hermione's healer training, Harry was working full time on his projects, refining several of his ideas, chief of which was restoring the lost magic to the Earth.

As far as he could tell, both from observation and historical precedent, there was less magic in the modern age than in previous generations, partially because the small genetic pool of mages, partially because the Earth was being damaged by pollution, abuse, great drains on the magical potential by the mind-numbing conformity.

In his meditations, he realized that they needed to double, if not triple the magical population and soon, otherwise they may not be able to survive as a race.

With this in mind, he decided that he would hire as many magicals as he could, giving them opportunity to marry and raise children, by way of better food, water, shelter, education and opportunity. The first and primary task was to seek out every magic-capable person they could find.

In previous times, they were often called squibs or other less than polite terms, but he reasoned, if they could see magic and interact with it, then they were potentially capable of breeding and raising magical children.

His ILMM project was a basis for the first big deal.

The Sahara story had inspired him and he heard about the shipbreakers off the coast of Mauritania.

A delegation of Mages from the area came and asked him if there was anything he could do to help their people, both magical and mundane, and he decided that he could.

It began with a floating Island in the middle of the gulf at the western edge of the Sahara.

It was, in fact the same converter manifold that had been used in the experiment at the UK power station.

Over the next few months, hundreds, if not thousands of wrecked and abandoned ships went missing,

The authorities didn't notice, all they had ever noticed was the bribes paid to them to look the other way when those same ships were abandoned, the environmental hazards and pollution threats totally ignored, damaging the fishing industry and putting assorted toxins into the foodchain.

The power generated was used in transferring material up and into the bleak desert, following the old trade routes from thousands of years before.

It began at a mountain far out in the sands. In a crater down between the rock outcroppings.

A lake began to form, and overflowing , followed the old path of the trade route, along what had been a river bed some ten thousand years before. Water that had been sea water in the gulf, filtered and free of all pollutants and oil from spillage, turned into fresh clean water

A road was growing, paved with solid stone, reconstituted from sea bottom sludge, following along the side of the river's path, and every mile, a steel pipe sprouted up and water flowed from it, clean, fresh water.

The local mages went to this hidden valley, and began their task, building a village at each mile marker, centered around the water flow. As more came in to an area, a school, a clinic, a trading post was built, and the river water diverted through irrigation ditches into fields and crops on either side of the road and river.

Within three years, there was not a single abandoned ship left in the gulf, and the corrupt officials in the government were gone as well.

A strip of land between five and twenty miles wide starting far up into the desert mountains, followed the river of life all the way down to the sea, and the magical peoples of the continent had a place to call their own.

Their warders kept the new country protected and invisible to the mundanes, and only those with magic could see that the road went off into the empty desert, was actually off into the green and verdant new country, hidden from the norms.

The Black University was justifiably proud of their newly affiliated country, and the string of schools along the river road fed directly into the University, increasing the magical population of the world by a significant number.

Meanwhile , back home in the UK, the 'new' government was slipping into disarray, and that put Harry and his friends on a new path.

He had arranged his companies in a military fashion and every employee had a rank, every employee had a duty station, responsibilities and for this, every employee received food and housing, educational opportunities, very much like the military.

Since the Lycans were already organized into brigades, it was not much of a stretch to follow a pattern that worked.

Jake Granger expanded his UK Dental into every part of the UK as well as parts of France and the Low countries, and at least one office in each town had a 24 hour service for those people who had pain overnight or couldn't get into the office during the day. It was also a convenient stop for the occasional vampire that needed some dental work.

All this time Harry had been thinking about the tomb in Egypt that Bill Weasley had been involved in.

The changing parsel runes worried Harry. They implied that there was an imminent threat, if not from an outside invader coming back to 'protect them' or the potential threat from whatever was inside the tomb

they decided that the threat of keeping the sealed tomb on the Earth was to risky, and Shala agreed to the planned course of action.

They were going to use Lodestone from the Black Island and lift the tomb out of Earth's gravity well and push it into the sun.

This, of course was based on the idea that Runes would work outside of the Earth's influence, ans so, it was decided to do some experiments.

Luna had hidden for almost two years inside Potter's Keep, refusing to go out in public, and so, Harry and Hermione jointly came up with an idea that would make it possible for their young friend to virtually leave the keep while remaining secure.

They took the concept of the dragonfly and added it to the basic structure of a bludger that could be controlled by remote and added on layers of runes that added sound, magic sensing, wide spectrum visual and invisible.

They made a series of these 'eyes' which were keyed into the walls of Luna's rooms and she traveled all over with these eyes, searching out hidden things, finding the secret habitats of her creatures, a few monitoring the life in cities and out on the moors. It was not at all unusual to be in her rooms with something projected on every surface, including the ceiling.

They began with a barrel size object, lined it with every type of sensing rune and magic, transmitting data at all manner of wavelength, and did some late night shenanigans, waiting for a winter storm, launched the payload. In minutes the package had left the Earth's atmosphere and oriented itself on a solar orbit, and the tracking charms indicated it would enter the Sun's troposphere in approximately five days.

One of the images that everyone was in awe of was the side view, which showed the Earth and the moon , getting smaller at a visible rate.

At four days out, they had to shut off all the visual components of the package and plans were made for the next try.

The next try was a full size payload, complete with the planned extraction procedure, using stone cutting runes which fired in sequence, and the dwarves helped them in that part of the project, 'seeing the grain of the underlying rock.

Test day came and the steps were worked out, the total mass and weight was calculated and the runes carved into the correct places.

The sequence was activated and a forty ton cylinder of stone smoothly lifted up out of the bare desert floor,and hovered, a few feet above ground level.

Satisfied, they made plans for the next day.

The warders, entered first, setting up anti muggle, anti wizard, anti scrying barriers the farthest out, followed by anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards.

The excavation crew dug down under the tomb and placed the packages containing the lodestone drivers.

Bill Weasley, Harry, Hermione and several of the support staff were gathered at the entrance to the tomb, with the intent to seal it with both physical and magical seals.

Using special equipment borrowed from the Military, they had done deep radar scans, x-ray scans, and several other tests, but could discern nothing from inside the tomb, just a space of no-space.

"I don't know what else we could do, here, it's too dangerous to keep on the Earth, or it's a target for some unknown, or it's a target for some dark lord wannabe who will destroy all life on Earth.. I have stated my opinion, and others have made their opinions known as well, at this point it's not open for discussion any longer we are committed."

The others looked at him, shocked, at least that's what he thought at first, but then he realized there was movement behind him.

He turned as the portal of the tomb opened silently.

He had not realized that when he was speaking, he had slipped into Parsel and when he said 'open', it activated the door opening sequence.

A sudden scramble and the others in the area dove for cover, and Harry stood there, enthralled

the opening was inert, nothing came out.

Hermione and Bill were behind , casting all manner of sensing charms and spells, testing for biological, magical or physical incursions.

Nothing.

They sent in one of Luna's eyes and peered in and around the inside of the tomb..there were a pair of sarcophagi neither of which were occupied.

There was a scrap of something in the bottom of the left chamber.

Carefully, by remote, a sample container retrieved the scrap, and was sealed and sterilized.

"Look, inside, it's the shape of a person"

indeed, inside the sarcophagus, the back and the lid formed what looked like the mold for a person..

The one on the left was male, the one on the right female. There was nothing else inside the tomb, just the two 'human molds'

By this time, Hermione had passed through the Healer training, and had her first year of internship in the mundane world as well, did some testing on the sample and had a look on her face.

Harry noticed and asked "What?"

She looked annoyed.

She waved a complex spell over the sample and it came up with a series of numbers and letters, so she did the same spell over herself, over Bill, over the other members of the group, and finally, over Harry.

"Have you ever opened this tomb before Harry?"

she looked peeved.

Harry had a look on his face. "No, this is only the second time I have ever been here, you were with me the other time as well, remember?"

exasperated she nodded. "I know, I know, it's just that.." She held up the sample container "This DNA is almost a perfect match for yours.. so...that means, either one of two things,"

"One, either this thing" she waved her hand at the tomb " this thing 'sampled' you somehow the last time we were here, in which case, we need to examine that one closely as well for my DNA, ..or" she sighed.."This sample is from one of, if not, your first ancestor, because it is almost a perfect match."

Everyone in the chamber stared at Harry

he groaned and rolled his eyes as he mumbled "bloody hell, not again.."

Authors notes.

reposting this after I was informed of some misspellings and the like..

Since the first posting of this chapter I had a few reviewers accuse me of failing, that is, in their words

"Just throwing a bunch of random ideas out and see if any of them stick"

I suppose that would work, but it is not what I am doing.

The truth is I am quite weary, and due to some real life problems I want to get this done.

A finished story, because it would be hypocritical of me to grumble about authors that abandon their work and then do so myself.

From where the marker in this story says 'Fast Forward' to the end, that is probably five chapters worth of basic notes, without the exposition and sidetracks that I usually take.

That said, this is the actual plotline I was always intending to follow, and you can see hints of it earlier in the story. Suffice it to say that before this is over there will be at least one Lunar expedition.

The next few chapters, however many or few will be less verbose.

Another thing, I don't care much for Authors notes, if you have to explain it , then you didn't write it correctly.

TimW


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Coda:

It had been twenty years, twenty long and busy years.

Harry sat in his office looking out the window which had a full field of view a full 360 degrees looking out at the horizon in all directions.

The window of course was an image fed through with real-time views all a the way around, a variant of the Great Hall's ceiling. With a click of his fingers Harry could see in all directions regardless of floors or ceilings. In truth Harry's office was buried deep within the structure of his latest and greatest invention.

He had conquered matter conversion runes and had a business cleaning up the world, filtering the oceans, taking away the landfills and junkyards and sewage outlets, and reclaiming lands long lost.

He had started on the site of an ancient elemental battle and taken back the desert from millenia of desertification, starting at the middle and most inaccessible of the Sahara, rose up a fountain of pure fresh water, and rivers flowing out across the land. These rivers all started at some point in an ocean or lake that was polluted beyond measure, and the pollutants and heavy metals filtered out, leaving life-giving pure water.

The unwanted matter was again filtered into long chain hydrocarbons, metals, pure elements and the off-fall of civilization. Harry's companies were the biggest suppliers of raw materials in the world by a factor of hundreds. All you had to do was specify what it is you needed in alloy or element, and it could be supplied, including materials long thought impossible in nature of manufacture.

In truth it was transfiguration on the atomic level.

One potential problem with all this was the losses. When matter is converted from one form into another, it created heat, and there was also a certain loss of mass also..that is, matter converted into energy and thus heat is created.

It was Hermione who suggested the idea, originally, to use what was basically a nuclear power plat design to capture the heat and create steam and use that steam as power to generate electricity. It worked quite well.

Soon all of Europe and The UK were powered by these matter conversion plants, and the local governments were anxious to turn over ownership of nuclear facilities to the Potter corporations for conversion, in fact paying them for the privilege.

This freed up Harry and his followers to more and more adventures in creativity, using the flying eyes that he had thought up as exploration devices, by remote, allowing scientists, technomages and explorers to enter into hostile and unforgiving environments without any discomfort at all, allowing those to assign full time eyes to track endangered beasts and creatures, to search out hidden and lost lands while bypassing wards or protections, to track the lost and the missing, for law enforcement to watch and search out crime and criminal activity.

This freed up the population to do things more creative and useful to civilization. In time it would lead to an increase in population, so at some point in the future, barring apocalypse, there would have to be licensing to have children, and it would come to pass that only those who could reproduce without birth defect would be allowed to breed. Those who had criminal behavior would be eliminated from the breeding pool, as well as those who had a propensity for genetic insanity or cancers.

It wouldn't take more than a thousand years to reach this point, but just in case, Harry made plans for that future.

One of Harry's secrets was that he found that he loved to read, and much of what he read was so-called 'science fiction', That is, fantasies and worlds of the future.. many of the possible scenarios that he planned for he had read about in his books and that opened possibilities.

He pondered the collapse of human civilization, the apocalyptic end of all things, the bright and shining cities on the hills and the galaxy spanning empires.

All this with a certain seed of knowledge that his people had come from out there, and he or his descendants one day would come in contact with those ancestral races, and he did not want to be found wanting.

One of the many problems he found with the planet of refuge that his people had been on was the over-breeding of the descendants of the original inhabitants. He pondered this for several long years, wondering what was the right thing to do, He was tempted to just let the chips fall where they may and let nature take it's course..it came down to "_**think of it as evolution in action**_", a quote from his favorite writer, Larry Niven.

The girls talked him around it and into a mindset of 'help them control their own environment and see what happens'. So that is what they were doing. Along the way, of course they were also making an impressive profit at it.

He looked out at the horizon, he didn't want to be an overlord, either dark or light. He wanted to work in his shop, make love to his wives and have a big family. So he delegated everything he could and did just that.

All those years ago, Harry and Sirius had entered into the now crashed 'Black Island' which was now a pile of South African granite in a Wilshire barley field. In the ruins of that island, they collected the massive quantities of lodestone, and encapsulated it for transport, removing the lift and motive power for the former flying Island. That done, they explored the ruins and found in several parts the captured spirits of the dead prisoners and slaves of the ancient Black family pirate.

Sirius as the Head of the Black family apologized to the spirits and released them from their bondage after Harry called upon Death to open up the gates of Avalon to receive the freed prisoners into the comforting arms of the afterlife.

The young gothish woman who appeared to Harry and Sirius opened her arms to the freed prisoners and led them away without a word.

As she passed out of sight, she winked at Harry with a small smile.

He leaned back in his comfortable chair and closed his eyes, thinking back on all the potential realities he had avoided with Luna's help. Some where he was potioned up and married off to Ginny, Some where he was dead, in more than one scenario, in the first reality Luna told him about where Hermione and Harry went to a hotel in Glasgow when Ron had abandoned them.

Many of these realities came out with the 'light side' winning, but for the most part they were unsatisfying, a Pyrrhic victory, but this reality that he lived in was for the most part, the best of all possible worlds.

When Harry and Sirius had investigated the hulk of the former Black Island, they found a variety of artifacts, some dark, some not, most broken and beyond use, but some..Harry had picked up a crystal sphere with a swirling light inside from the ruins of a iron-bound wooden chest. When he did so and looked into the sphere, he was transfixed.

Sirius found him half an hour later, frozen, gazing into the sphere.

"Harry!..Harry! Snap out of it!

Sirius put on his dragonhide gloves and smacked the object out of his godson's hands.

The sphere bounced once and rolled over into the corner as Harry shook himself, trying to gain his senses..

"What was that"?.. Both Harry and Sirius spoke at the same time..

Harry spoke first. "How long was I ..there?

"I haven't heard a peep from you in about twenty minutes or so..what was that thing?"

His Godfather was concerned, he remembered the episode with the Mirror of Erised that Harry had told him about.

"I dunno Sirius, I saw myself doing things I never did, and things I did do.. I mean.." he sounded flustered.

"Lemmee try again.. remember when Luna spoke of the Myriad Ways, with all the alternative realities?

Sirius nodded.

"Well, I saw a lot of those alternatives, each starting with when I made a decision to go this way instead of that, and what might have happened if I had gone the other way.." He looked distraught. "In an awful lot of these ways, you die, or I die or my girls die because of a decision I make.."

Sirius sighed. "Well they didn't, and I didn't so you don't have to worry about it now do you?"

Harry whirled his wand at the rotted chest the sphere came from "Repario"

The chest reformed it's rotted wood into strong oak lined with silk. Harry picked it up and coaxed the sphere back into the chest without touching it, and once done, put a locking charm on it so it couldn't be opened easily. Sighing, he sat on the chest and ran his hands across his hair into a stretch.

"I found the earliest point I could see was when I picked up a Runes book over the summer when I was at Privet Drive, and you remember some of the things I came up with then, right?"

Sirius laughed, remembering the dinner where they sat and insulted the Dursleys while being invisible to them.

"Yes, I remember.. what about it?"

"Well, in another version of reality, I didn't pick up that book and never learned how to manipulate Runes and I lived out my life as a pawn and puppet of the Old Man..that I willingly went into the forest and let Tom kill me." he paused.."And I ended up with Ginny and Hermione was with Ron, and Luna was gone from my life.." he put his face in his hands.."My gods, what could have happened.. I'd rather stay dead.!"

Harry snapped awake. Hermione and Luna walked into his office and the comfortable chair expanded to accommodate the three of them together. The girls.. Women snuggled into the chair on either side of him and held his hands.

"You waiting for launch?"

He said nothing but nodded, looking into his brown-eyed wife's eyes. He turned as Luna squeezed his other hand. He pulled this hand up into a kiss and slipped out of the chair, pulling the women along with him.

"I suppose they will want us on the bridge."

He stood tall and pulled his uniform into a tidy fit.

"how do I look, ladies?"

"like as pompous peacock."

Hermione smirked at him.

mock-Insulted he turned to Luna.

"And you, my love?"

She gave a perky salute, Very Admirally, Admiral Potter sir"

As she did, her and Hermione's clothes transfigured into 18th century seaman's uniforms to match Harry's 18th Century British Admiral's uniform, complete with hat.

Of course the women's uniforms were skin tight and had short shorts that barely covered anything.

"well, as much fun as these would be, I think we should show some decorum.." Hermione spoke with a raised eyebrow.

Luna got a pouty look on her face and crossed her arms "Oh poo!"and with a wave of her wand canceled the wardrobe changes.

Harry looked from girl to girl and Hermione's face softened. "We'll play later, Luna dear, ok?"

Luna brightened instantly and jumped and hugged her older sister-wife.

Harry smiled at the women and shook his head.

"C'mon, lets go. He headed towards the door.

Twenty years of hard work had come to the full with this ship.

All told she looked kind of like a turnip, a ten mile wide turnip.

The upper part was pinkish and the lower part white and it had a thousand foot long spike tapering down on the bottom.

The upper part was pinkish, because the overlapping layers of wards and shields, all thirteen layers of them, all rotating in their own designated direction. The lower half was white, in that it was the natural color of the material that the ship was made of. Long chain molecules atomically tied one to another in an unbreakable chain, woven and wrapped into a basket form,

Inside the basket was the gravity repelling lodestone which had been encased in a crystal lattice in an arithmetically computed pattern, thus allowing more efficiency in inertia absorption and control.

The `drive elements' would stick out of the base of the turnip at thirteen different locations the spike was a multi-purpose tool, dipping into the sea or atmosphere as needed. It was useful for gathering mass to convert to energy or materials needed for supplies, as no system , no matter how well designed is a closed system. There would always be need for air or oxygen or organic matter to convert to food.

One of the many discoveries of the research projects that Harry's companies funded was overcoming Gamp's law, the one which says that you cannot conjure food safely, since they were working at an atomic level, they indeed could, once they had a sample to work from.

All they needed was a perfect example of something and then all they needed to do was plug in the correct atoms in the correct places in a matrix. The creators of this process called the storage file a 'pattern buffer' as they were trekkies.

This all took a great deal of coordination, from the IT services, who maintained the knowledge base, to the medical staff who monitored all food and potions for proper nutrient and active agent levels. It wouldn't do to have potions made poorly.

The governing design of the ship as well as all of Harry's companies was based on a chain of command. Every magical person in the world had a place in the chain, whether they wanted it or not. Those who did not want contact with the group were left to be on their own, but each was given an emergency portkey to get themselves and their loved ones out of danger. Some used it, some did not.

It had not taken long to gather all magicals into one database, In airports, in train stations, in every Starbucks in the world, a mirror was placed. Normals saw nothing but a bland piece of artwork or an advertising poster, something to ignore. Anyone magical could see the ongoing broadcast from the magical TV network, with invitations to contact their nearest office for more information, for available jobs and help.

This way many were pulled out of poverty or unpleasant situations, pulled out of bad relationships or the like.

There were jobs available, healers, education both normal and magical.. The support services for the Ship alone were well over ten thousand people, not to mention almost ten thousand living and working on board.

All these jobs and offers were made to all magical races, be they trolls, elves, dwarves, goblins or Centaurs..The offer was to reclaim their heritage and their traditional places in galactic society.

As many personnel as the Ship needed to run it's daily operations, ten times that many were needed to support it from the Earth, not to mention the control of the reclaimed lands all around the world.. Every place there was a job repairing the Earth of the damage done to it, the teams negotiated payment from the local governments, and as so many of those governments were corrupt or just plain broken, the payment came in the form of people or land.. People who just happened to be carrying magical genes, or had magical potential in their bloodlines.

Many of the people claimed as payment were the victims of abuse, suppression, slavery or prisoners of one sort or another.

Harry had set certain standards, which he adopted based on his moral compass whom was of course, Hermione.. they came across a nation whose systematic abuse and absolute control of women was beyond the pale, and so they took action.

Shortly thereafter came the day gifting the Glorious Leader of the nation, who claimed he was ruling as God would have him rule... was something of a bait and switch..

while the eyes of the nation were on the capitol throne where the Glorious Leader received a ten meter sphere of pure gold and as the shouts of praise rose around them, wards, impenetrable wards rose on the borders of that land, and every magical person and artifact in the country disappeared, followed shortly thereafter by all the political prisoners, hidden revolutionaries and the biggest thing, every woman and every child under the age of ten.

This left Glorious Leader sitting on a golden throne ruling over a nation of like thinking men.

It was less than a year before the land had been decimated with the assaults from the military on the wards being ineffectual..a row of tanks at fifty meters from the ward firing shell after shell after shell, which vanished into nothingness. Soon they ran out of ammunition, out of fuel, out of food, and there were emaciated rags of men fighting over scraps while Glorious Leader sacrificed the youngest to his god and received no answers.

The wards stayed up for ten years after that, until there were no living humans inside that country.

The predecessors to The Ship were like stone clouds floating over the planet.

Eyes carved of alloys never heard of went to and fro on the earth, looking and tasting and searching, gathering data, gathering samples, gathering history.

The norms became aware of being watched and were trying very hard to find out who was watching them, few knew that it was the magicals, very few, because every skyship was hidden from view by clouds, weather, darkness or sunspot. Not a one of them could be seen directly, although some scientists were able to trace a signature here or there, as no matter what the magic was, physics still applied, The law of Gravity was still the law, even though subverted by the magical invaders.

Eyes watched, sniffers sniffed, sources of materials were found in the unlikeliest places rivers sprouted in the desert and the desert turned green and brilliant, but these were unseen by the norms, because every reclaimed area was hidden, even in the middle of cities, entire cities were emptied and disappeared without a trace. An entire state in the North American continent was taken and the harsh environment in that area was inhabited by Yeti and cold weather peoples.

Greg Goyle had turned into a pretty good wizard after he was freed from the bondage to the Malfoy family. He had learning disabilities, but with help and once he had learned to read he prospered, taking animal husbandry and learned about modern methods and techniques raised massive amounts of livestock of various sorts in a lot of the hidden lands.

He of course did this with the help of thousands of wizards and non wizards, a herd of goats here, llamas there, alpacas and aardvarks where needed.

He married Millie Bulstrode and between them raised four sons and a daughter and by all reports were happy.

The hidden lands in the desert were populated by the refugees of various places.. there was one region populated entirely by women, the wards and government controlled by women, the farms and gardens tilled and harvested by women. The land was inhabited by magicals and mundanes alike. The women there spent years recovering from a lifetime of abuse and degradation, many needing extensive repair to their bodies and minds. They adopted children and raised them properly, and teaching them to be human again.

The leaders of the mundane world were aware of some of this, but their hands were tied, because of the power that Harry's organization had.. if they wanted to break away from the hidden control of the magicals, they would suffer the consequences. A good example was illustrated when the leader of an unnamed European country was trying to force a negotiation with Fleur

The meeting was high in a tower overlooking the capital city, and the Prime Minister and his associates were all seated at their high benches making accusations and demanding actions immediately.

Fleur was seated at the table in front of these imperious men, and kept a calm facade.

The Minister in question was glaring, expecting an answer.

Fleur rose and spoke:

"Mr Prime Minister, you leave me no alternative with your demands upon our association, we must withdraw our resources from your nation"

with that she gathered her papers and placed them in her valise.

She opened her mirror and spoke one sentence.

"Proceed with operation 12, mon ami"

She closed her mirror and put it away.

The Minister looked somewhat flustered and then asked

"What is Operation 12 Miss Delacour?

She was putting on her black cloak to leave but turned to face the older bureaucrat.

"First, the electricity we generate will stop, then the water we purify will cease, followed by cessation of all food deliveries from our farms and food production facilities,"

"all raw materials for industry are being diverted to places who are cooperating, and no one of our retail outlets will accept any of your finished goods, no matter the price cutting."+

Our clinics, hospitals and schools are now all closing.."

she looked at her watch and glanced out the windows of the room as the city went dark

"Our security forces are now withdrawing and if you look toward the airport and rail facilities, the last transport just left."

She picked up her valise and flipped her hair back over her shoulder

"You're on your own."

"if you change your mind, call for me."

she raised an eyebrow and with a snap of her fingers, vanished.

The leaders argued and fought over what had happened, and what the fallout would be, They watched in horror as fires and riot broke out in the beautiful city bellow them, as large areas of the city went dark, who knew what was going on down there. As for themselves, they could not leave the floor, the elevators did not work, and no one could find a staircase, but they could get food and water, and so, maintained for the time, while every one of them was frantically trying to contact their home countries, their diplomats , their embassies, all to no avail.

They all listened as one more aggressive nation suggested that they launch a military attack against the known offices of the Potter group. Every nation had one , out of which they did all business and negotiations, and this tower, itself was one of the groups towers, a black glass spire rising up out of the center of the city, self-sufficient and protected against invasion and assault.

"If you raise your hand against even one of my people your nations will suffer, and because of your plans, however unformed, I have decreed that your military machines will no longer work."

The leaders worried amongst themselves, and it took several hours to figure out what the voice meant. It took a while for the messages to get back to the leaders in their hidden places

Not one helo would fly, no engines would start on any military aircraft or vehicle, no weapon would fire, explode or launch. The Chemical warheads were now filled with baking powder and sand, the nuclear materials were now lead and tin, the biology experiments that no one talked about were so much mold and cheese. The military forces of most of these nations were now armed with fists, rocks and sharp sticks.

The politicians and decision makers argued and made threats to each other and toward the Potter organization, but it came to naught, they looked out he windows and saw the dark cities lit with growing flames and argued about what to do.

They argued through the night, dawn arose and as the sun came up the delegated leader came to Fleur and made their offer.

"We will bow to your offers, and we will accept your direct control, for the sake of our peoples."

It was a total surrender on the part of the politicians, They knew that if they did not give in, they would probably not survive the day amongst their subjects, At this point is when most politicians realized that they were the servants and not the rules over the populace.

"After the codocils were signed and the paperwork filed appropriately, Fleur opened her mirror again and spoke to the operator waiting.

Operation 13, please" once she received confirmation, she snapped the mirror shut and began to leave once more.

"Excuse me Miss Delacour?

"Yes?"

What is Operation 13?"

"Look for yourself" she waved to the great windows overlooking the capital city.

They did and saw no fires, no riots, no dark spaces where the power was out, by all ways of observing, it looked like a prosperous healthy city.

_monsieur's_,

"_you see what we want you to see, _

_you hear what we want you to hear_

_you know what we want you to know._

_Just remember this:"_

"_we are looking out after your best interests, because until you grow up as a civilization you need someone to look out for you. We are not Big Brother, but we will keep you from hurting yourselves."_

"_You have free will, you have self determination, We do not control you, but if you want to rise up and expand into the universe, you will have to learn to work together amongst yourselves without regard to race, color, language, gender or species."_

she paused to look each of them in the eye.

"_There are forces out there in the Universe that are greater than you or I can imagine. _

"_Some may want to control us, some may want to destroy us, _

_We, the human race here on the Earth, we are not going to be found wanting _

_because we can't get along with each other."_

This speech was recorded and spread worldwide, and much discussed. There was an outcry against the group being a freestanding entity with no national affiliation having as much power as one of the world's nations, if not more power, because they were not bound by any particular nations law or culture, but their own law and culture. What most did not realize is that the basis of that law and culture was determined by five people, Harry, Hermione, Luna Mooney and Sirius.

They knew that among themselves that they were possibly too human centric, and should receive input from non-human races, and thus did so, asking for input from Dobby, and Shala, as well as the leaders of the Goblins, the Dwarves and the Centaurs. On occasion they asked for input from the vampires, but for some reason the vampires were reluctant, and kept to themselves.

The Lycan input was a given, as Mooney had become the de facto leader of the lycans on the Earth, as he was their employer for the most part.

Fleur reported back to Harry's council of advisers what she had done, and they agreed that she was following policy that had been set out at the beginning, treat the mundanes kindly, but if they rebel, isolate them. Their job was to repair the damage to the planet that their people were marooned on, and get back into the galaxy.

The preliminary report came in about ten years after the discovery of the sarcophagus found in the tomb in Egypt. It was not so much a replicator, as a sampling device, it was put in place some thousands of years before by a race who wanted to collect samples of the best and strongest of every species, and collect that DNA information into a database, and possibly be able to replicate them at some remote location . When it was opened, and they had found Harry's DNA sample in it, it became apparent that Harry had been sampled, and was now in some database. Harry shrugged it off as just another bit of 'Harry luck' and went about his business. The scientists investigating the artifact were able to identify almost a hundred thousand separate samples stored in the database , and they used Harry's sample as a kind of 'Rosetta stone' baseline. Going back through the samples they identified hominids, various birds and fish and mammals and other species, including some that were distinctly alien , that is to say, not of this Earth human. This did not give much evidence as to who had built the thing. When talking to the scientists and technomages working on it, they said they would probably attempt a replication within the next ten years, and wondered if he was willing to let them try with his own DNA, he said that he would think about it, he had ten years after all.

He did however forbid them from doing it without first gong before a council, on the possibility that it might alert some outside forces or something.

As a significant percentage of the peoples on the Earth became either employees of clients or colonists of the newly opened lands, travel became easier, the Skyships became common sights above the cities and states of the world, they were based on the layout of the original Black Island,

and took some fanciful shapes, Great airships with oars rowing through the skies, Dirigibles with open platforms manned by Victorian gentlemen, all manner of oddity, as well as some retro-futuristic shapes.

Many of these ships were manned and operated by normal mundane humans, and almost all of the technology was human made, but the basic motive drives and lift elements were sealed against non -magical tampering, in fact if one of the elements were opened without the correct magical procedure, they internals were rendered inert matter and useless. Harry called it the 'Shipstone effect' another thing he had learned from his reading of fiction.

Useful information was learned from many places, some very surprising. In building new communities,

Someone in the group became addicted to 'Simcity' and worked diligently figuring out the optimal layout of schools, libraries, recreation , housing and jobs. This was taken into consideration when building the cities in the desert, not overbuilding, making urban areas , but putting enough of everything for the people to use and be comfortable. Farms, support business, offices , medical and educational.

Harry's methods was to put a watersource evenly every mile and build a community clinic/school/meeting space.

The rest of the world was open, and the skyships now went about their business without any opposition. Cities fell, whole nations were swept clean of all signs of civilization whole areas were put under cultivation, not growing crops but rather regrowing the natural habitat.

Plains and early growth forest, pushing onward into climax forest, The Centaurs used their magic to force growth forward and where there once stood shopping malls and parking lots were now ancient forests..

_this is the forest primeval _

_bearded in moss and in garments green_

_the murmuring pines and the hemlocks _

_stand like druids of eld..._

(Evangeline by Longfellow)

Shala took the various herds of dragons, that is if they could be called herds, and set up nurseries in the appropriate environments , some high in the mountains, some on the Antarctic ice, some in the hot dry vastness. Each type of dragon was given their own particular place in the world and encouraged to multiply, and Shala mentored each and every possible queen so that she would have peers in the world.

She even encouraged her own daughter to be a Queen, as Shala had had a thousand lifetimes and was now fairly independent

She kept her island home at Potters Keep, since it had sentimental value to her, not to mention the tasty spiders on the next island over.

The magical population grew.

The magical populations had a population surge, now that the ignorance of the pureblood manifesto had been expunged, and replaced with a doctrine of fair and equitable treatment for all.

The history of the blood wars and the manipulations of Albus Dumbledore were taught in the schools as an object lesson.

– - - - - - - - - -

By the time twenty years had passed, the magical population of the world had slightly more than tripled, and the people living in the new territories was close to 117 million people.

117 million people with clean water, good food, jobs, education, and a sense of purpose and community.

Harry strode towards the Bridge with Hermione on his right and Luna on his left.

Luna had finally come out of her funk after her abduction and her father's death, and decided she didn't want to be the little sister any more and told Hermione so. It took another two years for Harry to accept this and at that point the three of them were married, and after several years they had between them seven children.

The kids were all in the nursery watching on the viewscreen as was every other magical in the world.

They entered the Bridge and the mate sounded the whistle and announced "Admiral on Deck!"

Everyone stood at attention.

Harry and the Ladies assumed their position

Everyone looked to Harry expectantly

He sighed. "I suppose I must make a speech here.. alright then."

"We have fought the good fight and stopped the forces of evil

we have turned back the devastation of unchecked civilizations

we have gathered our people and brought them back to their heritage.

This is just the first step of many."

he looked to each of his friends gathered on the Bridge of the great ship.

"Earth is our home, and has been so for the last 200 millenia, and we will return home soon."

"But for now, we are going to go and see if we can find our relatives out there"

"With that I name this ship _**Seeker**_"

he gave his first order.

"Captain, the ship is yours, proceed"

The captain nodded and gave the orders to the various crewmen who did their jobs

From the outside the ship blurred as the wards spun up to speed. The huge craft lifted slightly, a mere thousand feet, thus making the bottom spire float just a few meters off the surface of the ocean.

On the bottom of the hull the thirteen drive shells glowed with a rainbow of colors normally associated with a portkey and with an acceleration that could not be tracked went upward, leaving behind a vacuum which fell in upon itself with thunder and lightning.

From the viewpoint of a hundred miles away all you could see was a lightning colored streak which went straight up. Followed by a myriad of lightning strikes and thunder which echoed for more than an hour.

And then nothing.

And thus begins the true story.

The End.

Ok. that is the end of The Power.

Harry used the power of thinking, and of asking for help.

Technology has it's place at the side of magic,

to understand transfiguration on an atomic level, you have to understand atomic bonds and

elemental science.

There is no way that Harry and friends could have done it without the cooperation of thousands of people, both magical and non magical.

He used the power of humanity.

He used the power of fair treatment and equal rights among all peoples, regardless of what species or race.

There are those who will say that this story is/was a confused mess.

I don't disagree.

This story has way too many ideas in it, and it tries to go off in all directions at once.

It could have been a story where Harry and Hermione went to a hotel in Glasgow and showed their love for one another, and then found a smart way to end the threat of Voldemort.

It could have been a story where Harry discovered runes and created a way to sort atoms and create a company.

It could have been a story where Harry discovers his families ancestral Keep and explored all that that entailed, like how were his parents tricked into leaving a safe place, etc.

It could have been a story about Harry and Rudy the elf and pirate radio influencing the magical world via broadcast.

And then there is Shala. There is so many things that could have been done with Shala, the finest example thus far is Bobmin's HP and the Dragonriders of Pern stories.

Some people laid into me because it had Lunar Harmony, some people laid into me because it did not.

Some people were offended because a vague reference to a plural marriage.

The last time I posted chapter 29 there was quite a bit of people telling me I did it wrong, that I didn't do it right, that I made wrong assumptions, etc.

This annoyed me, so I deleted my yahoo group, told the community that  
I was leaving and did so.

I suppose that if I had stayed away, no one would notice.

After 6 months or so, I needed something to read, and went back to Caer Azkaban and followed Rors and his writing, as well as a few others.

I continued to poke at rewriting chapter 29 to my satisfaction.

A Ffnet user sent me a PM asking for Chapter 29 because he liked the story.

Today he Pm'd me again.

So, this is chapter 29.

The last chapter of The Power.

This is for anotherfanfictionreader.

Enjoy

TimW

1-7-2013


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